Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves
by Rico Perrien
Summary: Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay New Year's , he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.
1. Prologue

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Author's Notes:**

The rating of this story is possibly too high, as the material is not in any way explicit, and deals with matters that most teens (T) are fully aware of. However, to keep the old ladies of both genders from getting their knickers in a twist, I have rated it M.

I have long been interested of how people end up where they are, and how they end up being the people they are. Often this depends on who their parents and grandparents were, and what happened to them during their lives.

I give talks on things from the past in elementary schools, and one question which often comes up is "That happened before I was born; why should I care about it?" I respond with the questions "What language are we speaking? Why? Why not French, or Spanish, or German, or Arabic? The reason for that happened before you were born. Doesn't that affect you?"

Concerning the role of religion in the magical community, I don't see why witches and wizards could not be Christians, Buddhists, or any other faith. As most priests are effectively the shamans for their religions, and in the case of Catholic priests, believe that they are participating in a miracle every time they say the mass, there is no good reason to assume that wizards and witches would be excluded from their faith communities. Most old English schools are quite definitely Church of England (equivalent to Anglican or Episcopal, depending on your country), and there is no reason to believe Hogwarts would be different (other than Hogwarts predated the Protestant Reformation by many years, and therefore might be more likely to follow Roman Catholicism). They do have a student body from different countries and cultures, and English society has long made accommodations for the presence of such people in England from their far-flung empire.

The story appears to have no real ending, which is intentional and in keeping with the theme of the narrative. It is about the journey, not the destination.

I must thank Dave305 for his gamma work (like beta, but one step later). Thanks Dave.

Note to breeders – plot bunnies are very prolific.

**Timeframe**: The summer and autumn after DH, except for the epilogue which I have ignored.


	2. Taking Possession

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Taking Possession**

Harry Potter stood in front of a craggy mountain in the Scottish Highlands, and prepared to make a declaration. He had practised the Gaelic battle cry of the Blacks, and if he didn't get the declaration correct, he would lose this part of his inheritance.

He had received letters from Gringott's bank informing him regarding his inheritances, both from his own family as well as from Sirius Black (his godfather). On his adulthood, he received his inherited wealth from both family line (as sole heir of both Sirius, and from his natural family) ending up with (as Ginny Weasley summarized it) 'More money than God'. This included an incredible amount of wealth, in cash, business investments, property (both land and buildings, and associated house elves), and incidentally he became the titular head of two 'Ancient and Noble Houses'. As such, he held authority over a number of fiefdoms around the world, as well as _ex officio_ positions on several official organizations such as the Wizengamot and the Ministry of International Wizarding Sports (the authority over quidditch and other magical activities).

He spent a good deal of the summer following the battle, travelling to his various properties. He took Hermione, Ron and Ginny Weasley along on these trips. Ron and Hermione were at loose ends as well, and Ginny was invited both as a friend and possible future companion. In this way, if Harry and Ron wanted to go off and do something, Hermione was not left entirely on her own, and if Ron and Hermione wanted some time together, Harry was not left to mope on his own either. Ginny was good company, having a good sense of humour, and a shared interest in quidditch so that Ron had someone to talk to if Harry and Hermione wanted to do something together (like having a more intellectual conversation, or just sit and read books together). As part of the property titles, Harry had the apparition coordinates, so that the three older folks could apparate to each, and one could do a side-along with Ginny (as she had not yet got her apparition license). Often one would go ahead to a property which had been unoccupied for some time, and activate its floo system, and then the others could arrive and leave at will.

This travelling also gave Harry and Ginny time to see whether they could make up for lost time. Her parents were a bit reticent on the travelling arrangements, even though Ginny was now an adult in the wizarding world, but as they had been dreaming of this match for a long time, and if nothing else, Ron and Hermione could be counted on as chaperones (to a degree) and Harry was the most honourable 'kid' they knew.

Before they left on their travels, Molly did take Ginny aside, and remind her of the old Yiddish saying that Jewish (and all other) mothers teach their daughters, which translates roughly as 'No Wedding, No Bedding' (actually, more crudely). As Ginny knew for a fact that Molly had taken Arthur into her bed by the time they were both sixteen (a year younger than Ginny herself), Ginny thought this advice a little hypocritical, and as all daughters before her, Ginny planned to ignore it. Of course, this is exactly what Molly expected (as she had long hoped and planned that Ginny and Harry would get together), because the most effective way to get a teenager to do something is to tell them not to.

Harry's financial adviser at Gringott's had (for an appropriate fee) made arrangements with the staff at Castle Black, had arranged tutors to teach Harry the proper Gaelic pronunciation, and identified the exact location where Harry was to stand when delivering his speech.

Harry raised his arms pointing his hands towards two peaks of the mountain, which vaguely resembled the horns of the dragon he had out-flown in the Tri-Wizard tournament in fourth year at Hogwarts. Given his purpose at the moment, he suspected that this resemblance was not accidental.

The young man called out in a clear voice, "I am Harry James Potter, Lord Potter, Lord Black, and the Chief of Clan Dubh. I claim my rights and take possession of this castle. I swear allegiance to Clan Dubh, and as Chief, I swear to serve as Great Steward of the lands of Clan Dubh and to serve my clansfolk with the honour due to them all. Éirich Dubh!

Hermione explained to Ron (who was puzzled by this declaration) that 'Dubh' means Black in Gaelic, and the battle cry meant "Arise, Black".

Harry must have got it right, because the disillusion charm faded and a massive castle appeared out of the mountain mists, nestled in the curve of the hill. Two high towers appeared instead of the two "dragon horn" peaks. The Castle's walls were smooth and in good repair. A stately manor house stood within the great stone walls.

An elderly house elf, a middle-aged man and a woman approached Harry from the castle. More elves, mostly younger ones, some humans and a very tall woman stood in the entranceway to the castle, observing the proceedings. A couple of older elves stood at the sides of the entrance, holding swords vertically, as if standing 'on guard'.

Hermione stiffened at this concentration of elves, but was amazed by the fact that they were all wearing formal tartan livery, and not baggy pillowcases. The humans and the tall woman were also in livery.

The most senior of the house elves and two humans, a man and a woman, stood in front of Harry. The man had a grizzled beard and hair and was wearing a kilt and a tweed jacket, while the woman wore a long tartan skirt in the same tartan as the rest of the group. The elderly elf bowed. He said, in a very formal tone, "Welcome, my Chief, to your home and seat." The rest of the group bowed to Harry as well.

Hermione was dumbstruck, as it was obvious that this elf was the one in charge, not the humans!

Harry formally answered, "I thank you for your welcome. I serve the Clan. Who else serves Clan Dubh?"

The elderly elf bowed again, "I serve that Clan and you. The Clan serves you and yours. In return, you are the Great Steward of the Clan."

Harry bowed to the elf, and declared "I am the Great Steward, and I gladly take on the responsibilities of that office". Harry then smiled and relaxed. "Thank you. I'm glad that that is over with. I am Harry Potter. Please call me Harry. May I ask your name, sir?"

The elf was a bit startled by being addressed as 'Sir', and by being requested to address his Lord by his given name. He said, "Aye, my laird, ah.., Harry. My name is Hamish, the same as your sire. I remember him well when he visited with young Mr. Black. A good lad."

Harry looked puzzled "My dad's name was James, not Hamish".

The elf smiled, with a twinkle in his eye, "That's the _sassonach_ version of the old name. We prefer the proper form."

Harry laughed. He extended his hand, and shook the hand of the elf. "I am very pleased to meet you, Hamish. I gather you are the chief elf of the castle."

Hamish nodded. "Aye, that I am, and more. I have been the principal servant this last half century, having succeeded my sire in the honoured post."

Hermione, who had spent the last several years fuming about elves (like Dobby) showing deference to the point of being obsequious, with Hamish referring to himself as a servant, asked "Are you elves all bound to the castle?" She hated the essential enslavement of some house elves she had seen, and was committed to freeing them from their bondage.

Hamish looked very shocked! "Nay, lassie! We are bound, not to the castle, or to the young Laird here, but by our oaths of fealty to the Clan. Human, elf, and others, we are free peoples of Clan Dubh! I myself gave my oath the year the Bonnie Prince went awa'". He paused, and thought for a second. He turned to Harry and asked formally, "My Lai..., excuse me. Harry. May I ask you to introduce me to your Lady and your companions?"

Hermione blushed, prettily, at this description.

Harry smiled, "Certainly, Hamish. May I introduce my good friend and sister-in-arms, Miss Hermione Granger."

Hamish bowed low. "I am most honoured to make your acquaintance, Miss Granger, or may I say more properly, Lady Hermione. I hear that you are acquainted with the conditions of some of my folk to the south. I have heard of your efforts on their behalf, and your knitting of the wee tams for them. I assure you, here, we follow old Highland law. We have always been a free folk, bound only by our oaths of loyalty, freely taken. Service is the way of my folk, and proud we are of it! I ken that many of my folk in the south serve by their own choice, but that some are legally bound to their families and their houses, and are treated no better than slaves. Although some of your efforts are unwelcome, I ken that you have a good heart and are doing this from kindness and respect for their honour."

Hermione was stunned. This elf had talked back to Harry, his supposed master. She was being simultaneously praised and rebuked by this old elf. She had never heard an elf speak ill of a human. These were a different kind of elf than she had ever met before. She asked, "May I ask why you addressed me as 'Lady Hermione'?"

Hamish bowed, "By your exploits and as a holder of the Order of Merlin, my Lady, you bear the equivalent of a high knighthood among the non-magical. I assume the lad by your side is Sir Ronald Weasley, and lassie wi' him is his sister, the Lady Ginevra Weasley."

Harry bowed again to the elf, "Hamish, you are correct, and I present them to you." Ginny and Ron bowed to the elf, both blushing at the honour and high esteem he demonstrated.

Harry asked "Hamish, would you please introduce me to your companions?"

Hamish bowed again, "Certainly, my Laird, aa... Harry. This young lassie is Lady Morag Stuart, your head gillie, or you would say game-keeper. This lad is Dr. Jock McGregor, the steward of the estate." As Lady Morag and Jock both looked to be in their later thirties to mid-forties (given Jock's grey beard and the numerous strands of silver in Morag's auburn shoulder-length hair), Hamish's description brought a smile to their faces. Harry guessed that, given the long life span of the elves, anyone with less than a century under their belt was a spring chicken to them.

As Hamish introduced Lady Morag, it was obvious to Harry that both she and Hamish were watching Harry's reactions very carefully. When Harry did not seem to react in any particular fashion, both visibly relaxed a bit. Having been under threat for most of his life, Harry noticed the suspicious looks, and the relaxation. He decided that this was something he needed to know more about.

Harry bowed to them and said, "I am pleased and honoured to make your acquaintance. I presume that we will speak further as you help me become familiar with the castle and its ways."

Hamish shivered with the breeze, and said, "There's nae reason to stand out here in the cold. We can finish the formalities inside with a warm fire, and a dram in your hands. Come, come." He led the group inside the castle.

The group stopped at the gateway into the manor house, which was the central building of the castle. Hamish turned to Harry and his friends, and spoke, "It is the custom in the Highlands not tae enter a hoose carrying concealed armament, but also to retain your personal protection. Jock, would you please show these young people what I mean?" McGregor came over and extended his right leg a bit. Visible in the top of his right knee sock was the traditional sgian dubh (the black dagger) as well as a wizard's wand. Jock withdrew another wand from his belt, and laid it on a rack on the table at the doorway.

Hamish said, "Harry, as Laird, you can chose the rules as you wish. However, I should let you know that this castle has been charmed such that you can perform any spell wandlessly, so that you dinnae need tae carry your wand indoors. The castle is protected by strong wards so that you should nae need your wand while inside its protection."

Harry thanked Hamish for this information, and placed his wand on the rack as well. Ron and Hermione drew their wands from their arm holsters and laid them on the rack as well. Ginny lifted her skirt as she drew her wand from her thigh holster and laid it on the table, then with a sideways glance at Harry with a saucy twinkle in her eye, she lifted her skirt high enough to flash her lacy slip and forest-green underpants, then smoothed her skirt down again.

Hamish turned to Harry, winked and said "Harry, I ken ye've got a saucy one there". They all laughed as Hamish led them into the great hall to finish up the paperwork.


	3. Become Acquainted with the Ways

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Becoming Acquainted with the Ways**

(A/N: I am told that my writing of dialogue in Scots dialect is abysmal. Therefore, please note that Hamish has a thick Highland brogue, Lady Morag has a light Edinburgh lilt, and Jock McGregor has more of an Ayrshire dialect similar to that in the poetry of Robert Burns.)

Harry and the others loved the Black Castle and manor house in the Scottish Highlands. Harry found it reminded him of the castle at Hogwarts, which was the first real home he had had since infancy. Going out to fly around the Scottish mountains with Ron and Ginny was a treat, and Harry felt he was one with the eagles.

Another feature of the castle was finding that the Blacks were descended from the Black Douglas (Dougal Dubh, or Dhu), and distantly related to Edward, the Black Prince. As head of The Ancient and Noble House (Harry started thinking of the designation as "AANH") of Black, he was the honorary colonel-in-chief of the Black Watch and entitled to wear the Black Watch kilt.

Harry started wearing the kilt around the castle, both in the Black family tartan, and also the Black Watch pattern, prompting Ginny and Hermione to demand kilts of their own (Ron swore he wouldn't be caught dead in a 'dress'). The house elves arranged for garments for 'the lassies', with Hermione choosing the Douglas tartan (old colours) as she like the soft blues and greens of the pattern, while Ginny preferred the Dress MacDonald and the MacDonald Hunting patterns. Not knowing the Scottish customs, the girls were brought up sharply by Winnie, the ancient house elf who was dressing them. To Hermione's discomfort, the castle's elves still appeared to be bonded to the property, although she was reassured that it was by their own free choice; Winnie informed Hermione that her name was Winifred, but that she was commonly called Winnie and Lady Hermione could address her as such (Hermione responded "In that case, I ask that you just call me 'Hermione'. With a twinkle in her eye, the elf asked "Are you saying that you're no lady?" Both laughed). The elderly female elf pointed out in no uncertain terms that "the ladies dinna wear a sporran, except if they play the pipes in a band. Ye wear a kilt pin to maintain your decorum – it gets somewhat breezy in the Highlands".

On the other hand, Harry was told bluntly (by Rudolf – "Ye can call me Rudi") that "A laddie does nae wear a kilt pin, ever! That's for the lassies, so that the gentlemen are not affrighted, should the wind come up." Then with a twinkle in his eye, the elf said "Noo, ye can wear a sporran with a fair number o' tassels, if ye no think that's bragging too much, or just a day-to-day sporran to hold your necessaries."

Harry was also taught the standard jokes about wearing the kilt. When he came down the stairs wearing it for the first time, Hermione and Ginny (who had heard of the practice of going 'regimental'), conferred quietly between themselves, and then Ginny asked "Harry, what's worn under the kilt?" to which Harry replied with a smirk on his face, "Nothing is worn, it's all in perfect working order!" After both girls blushed rather thoroughly, and Ron fell over laughing, Ginny looked Harry in the eye and said "We were set up for that, weren't we?"

During the days the foursome explored the castle (when they were not out flying) or hiked around the grounds. In the evenings, they would sit with Hamish, Lady Morag and Jock, and discuss the running of the estate. Many topics were covered, from the running of the estate, how you made whiskey (attached to the estate was a family-owned distillery producing Scotch which was held in very high esteem by connoisseurs of the 'Water of Life'), the local wildlife, the relationships between in-house and estate staff, and everything else under the sun and the stars.

They were also informed in no uncertain terms that the people were 'Scots', while 'Scotch' came in a bottle or flask, or if you were particularly fortunate or wealthy, an oaken cask.

One fact that amused the staff was that the young witches and wizards were fairly typical of their generation, and had done very little travelling except by magical means. For this reason, their sense of geography was 'nae sae good'. Where the castle was located, with respect to other areas of Scotland (or even England), was a complete mystery to them.

One evening while chatting with Lady Morag, Harry enquired about the very tall and husky woman he had seen when they arrive, and who he had seen speaking with Lady Morag a number of times. Morag told Harry firmly that, if she was asked by her Laird to call him by his Christian name only, he should call her by her given name as well, if only to save time (claiming, if nothing else, to be a frugal Scot, and time was too precious to waste on such formalities, except on formal occasions). Harry said that he had seen the tall woman working around the estate (seemingly always outdoors), and noticed that when she did not have her hair tied back or under a scarf, it was very bushy and black, and it reminded him of an old friend. Morag laughed, "Her name is Mrs. Mhairi Campbell; her maiden name was Mariah Hagrid, but here she uses the Scottish form of her Christian name. I think you are reminded of her little brother Rubeus, who is the gillie over at Hogwarts! Mhairi handles the larger of the creatures on the estate."

Harry was astonished, as 'Hagrid' had mentioned his brother Gawp, but never had mentioned a sister. Morag smiled and asked "How many years had you known 'Hagrid', as you call him, before he spoke of his brother? About 4 or 5 years, and at that, you were good friends with him. During the bad years, before you rid us of Lord Voldemort, a family of half-giants were in danger for much of the time. Rubeus was protected at Hogwarts, working for Dumbledore, but Mhairi was working for the Blacks, who were not exactly the most open-minded of people. A half-blood lassie, particularly one as slight as Mhairi, had to be very careful." Morag and Harry smiled at her description of the 9 foot tall Mhairi being thought of as 'slight', and Hagrid being called anyone's 'little' brother.

Harry commented that it must be hard being so far away from her brother. Morag laughed out loud at this. "I suspect you've spent all your time inside, apparating, on a broom or using the floos, yes? You should get out and walk through the land, as I and Mhairi do. For one thing, there is nothing quite like the smell of the heather in bloom on the sides of the hills – you miss that from a broom. Also you get more of a feel for where you are in the world. Hogwarts is only about a half day's walk over the hills to the west (Mhairi does it in two hours, having longer legs than myself). By broom, it's only about five minutes. The so-called 'Forbidden Forest' is partially on this estate as well."

Harry thought about one implication of this news. He asked "With Hagrid's sister here, does that mean you have dragons on the estate?" Morag laughed, "Nae, Mhairi doesn't have her brother's obsession with those glorious beasts. However, if you truly want to try out-flying one again, we can check with some of our Welsh cousins to see if we can borrow one for a wee while." They both laughed as they sipped their drinks.

Harry thought for a moment, and then said, "I do not wish to offend, but you spoke of the Black family with less than complete respect. I have had to deal with Lady Black's portrait, and I understand that completely, but I don't understand how you stayed working for them. Either the family would dismiss you, or you would quit rather than work for such people. May I ask you to explain that point, as I think that would help me understand you and the working of the castle better?"

Morag smiled and nodded. "I see that we are of one mind concerning the family as it was of late, and you worded it well, and much more kindly than many others would. You see, the Blacks were a well respected and tolerant family for many generations. About the last three or four generations, they began to believe the nonsense about the superiority of the pure-blood humans (and humans only). There were some who did not accept this. Your godfather, Master Sirius was one such; his cousin, Andromeda was another, and when she married a muggleborn, she was disinherited. When he was at Hogwarts, just over the hill, he heard from Hagrid that his sister was looking for a job working with creatures; she and her brother have a love for the big nasties, though Mhairi was not so fond of the fire-breathers." Morag smiled to herself thinking of the kindly care with which Mhairi handled some of the wildlife. "Young Sirius spoke to Mr. Douglas, who was my predecessor as head gillie. A job was found on the outdoor staff, which allowed her to care for her animals, and also to keep out of sight if she needed to do so."

Harry frowned, "How did Lady Black allow that?"

Morag laughed "We never bothered to tell her. You see, she and the late Lord Black almost never came to the castle. With their prejudices, they did not like being around free people, particularly house elves who were within their legal rights to declare that the Clan had abandoned them and was trampling on their rights, and therefore, could leave as they pleased. They expected elves to be beholden to them and willing to be abused. They came here very seldom, and left the running of the place to the staff – hiring and firing was 'servant's work'. Master Sirius loved the wildness of the hills, and the freedom of the land and the folk. He came here often, usually with his friends including your father. Now there was a handsome lad; had I not been just married myself, and his heart not already given to your mother, I would have taken a run at him myself."

Harry looked at her and asked "You speak of Sirius as 'Master Sirius', and his father as 'Lord Black'. Sirius had succeeded his father as Lord Black. May I asked why the difference?"

Morag smiled softly and sadly. "I never knew him after his father died. When his little brother was murdered and after they put him into Azkaban blaming him for your parents' deaths, his father just faded away, dying within the year. I remember him only as 'Master Sirius'."

A bit misty-eyed, Harry asked, "Were there any places around the castle that Sirius and my dad were particularly fond of?"

Morag looked at the young wizard. She said softly "They loved to fly around the mountain peaks, just as I have seen you and your two red-headed friends doing. I remember that they were also rather fond of the wine cellar and the whiskey supply. There is a hot spring around the far side of the mountain to the south where your father and mother would sneak off to in private, and come back with their cheeks very rosy. Some of the waters of that spring are piped into the swimming pool in the manor's basement, which I don't believe you have found yet, should you prefer a closer location." She looked over at Hermione and Ginny chatting by the fireplace. "I can assure you that the swimming pool has privacy charms which can be activated if you wish."

Harry blushed slightly. "Good to know, I guess. Does the castle have any ghosts in residence?"

Morag laughed heartily, "If not, we'd be struck of the National Trust list, if we were on it! The secrecy statute, you know. Imagine, an unhaunted Scottish castle, the thought. Fortunately the late Lady Fiona Black was kindly, and stays mostly in the west wing. Jock or Hamish or I can introduce you to her if you wish. She is pleasant company for all that she died tragically – unrequited love you understand."

Morag looked over at Hermione. "I gather your brown-haired friend does not enjoy the flying. She likes the books, though. I notice that she had found the library, and seems to be falling in love with it."

Harry answered, "No, Hermione really does not like being up in the air on a broom. She didn't seem so frightened riding the hippogriff, but she was terrified when we rode the thestrals, because she couldn't see them. I am sorry to say that she can see them now."

Morag looked at him and scolded him "Don't you ever feel guilty for that! In a war, you will see death. By your efforts, she saw far less than she might have, including yours and Ron's, and very likely her family's."

Morag looked at the clock on the wall, and gasped, "Lord, it's almost midnight, and I have some tasks to complete. It has been a pleasure talking with you, Harry, and I hope we have any opportunities to do so again. Good night."

Harry thanked her and bid her a good night and to sleep well.

The next day, Harry spent time with Jock McGregor looking over the operations of the estate, meeting some of the tenants and the administration staff. He learned that the people who lived on the land were a mixture of magical and non-magical persons, and there seemed to be no animosity or tensions between them, although there was a certain reservation on their faces when he was introduced as the new Laird. He thought to himself "There was definitely some old business to deal with here".


	4. Revelations

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Revelations**

First thing in the morning, the three went out flying around the mountain tops, while Hermione looked through the ancient books in the library. Harry had suggested that they fly over to Hogwarts, which turned out to be much easier than they had thought it would be, as the school was very close.

Harry and Ginny flew a few of their old Quidditch manoeuvres, and the three danced in and out of the clouds. Harry noticed a couple of clouds looked like one of George and Fred's flying patterns, and called out to Ginny and Ron to take a look. Apparently the pattern also reminded them of their brothers too. Their flying lost a bit of the exuberance.

The three soon returned to the castle.

When they landed, Ginny broke down in tears, and Ron looked like he was having trouble swallowing. Harry looked at them, puzzled. Ron said "Fred", and Ginny nodded. Harry shook his head and said, "I am so sorry. I remembered Fred's love of life, and for a moment I forgot...", as he pulled them into a threeway hug. Hermione came out of the castle, and on hearing the situation from Harry, (Ginny and Ron were both sobbing at this point) she joined in the hug.

Brooms were put away, and the foursome walked through the quiet hallways of the castle. At one end of the second floor hall, they came across the castle's small chapel. They entered, and were dazzled by the sunlight pouring through the beautiful stained glass windows. Some of the windows showed biblical stories, others depicted lords and ladies from long ago, and one showed Saint George slaying a very realistic Turkish Hammersnout dragon. Other windows showed various magical scenes, with one showing a palomino unicorn drinking at a pool while centaurs stood nearby on guard.

There were the faint sounds of a flute playing to the accompaniment of a guitar. They sat in the quiet for a couple hours, absorbed in their own thoughts, until Ron's stomach started to rumble. After a minute or so of this added source of sound, Ginny and Hermione started to giggle. Ron looked embarrassed, and soon Harry was joining in the laughter as his own stomach also gave a rumble. With a gentle laugh, they went to find some lunch.

Over lunch, Hermione told them that she had been speaking with Winnie, the house elf who was assisting her and Ginny with dressing, getting their kilts made, and finding their way around the castle. Hermione was thrilled that this assignment had been by Winnie's own choice. She had found that the elves knew a way to teach humans to understand languages while the person slept. Always eager to learn something new, she had arranged to have her first lesson in Scottish Gaelic that night. Ron looked at her in horror "You want to take lessons? I thought we were on holidays."

That afternoon, they wandered the halls of the castle for a couple of hours, then went outside and walked up to a viewpoint on the side of the mountain. Ginny was looking a bit depressed in the brisk wind, and Ron was looking very thoughtful as well. The mood soon got the Harry and Hermione as well, and they went back inside to sit by one of the fireplaces, each lost in their own thoughts.

That evening, Harry and Hermione sat with Hamish, to learn a bit more about the castle and its people. Harry asked Hamish the question that had been on his mind for a couple of days "Why did people seem so reserved when they first met me, and then relaxed so visibly?"

Hamish thought for a minute, "Well sir, that question has a number of answers. First, you are the new Laird of the Clan. The people don't know you yet, and need to find out where you stand on a number of issues, so that they know how to approach you and deal with you. We are a free people, and to a Scot, freedom requires caution and constant vigilance. They have heard of your exploits and your power, so there is a bit of uncertainty (and yes, some fear) if you were a man with a fierce temper and bad character, or a kindly disposition. A lot of powerful men are powerful largely because they are bad people and push people into giving up property or rights that they should not. You are young, and so they don't know if you have a mature outlook, or whether you still have a lot of rough edges. As the new Laird, you have some power over their lives, so they need to get to know you."

"Second, the last few lairds have not been exactly broad-minded about some of the magical folk, much less the non-magical. You addressed me and other elves with respect, and one of your closest companions is muggleborn. You were curious about Mrs Campbell, not because she is different, or a 'half-blood' as the Old Laird would have called her, but because she reminded you of a beloved friend. You appear to have a good heart, and are free of the bigotry that nigh-on destroyed our world."

"Thirdly, you are English. Southerners have not always been kind to those of the Highlands. You seem to address everyone with respect, and don't appear to think that the Scots are beneath you, nor that being human entitled you to treat others with distain."

"Fourth, and perhaps most important to some and in a way ties into my third point, you seem to be either unaware of Scottish history, or do not care about some of the implications of the past. On that point, and on behalf of the people of the Clan, I must ask you a question. How do you feel about refugees?"

Harry was a bit stunned by this question. He answered, "I'm not sure how that applies here. I mean, I suppose you could say I was a refugee last year, when Hermione and Ron and I were on the run while hunting for Dark Artefacts, and hiding from the Death Eaters. I guess you could say I sympathize with them, if they are running from evil. But if an evil person is hiding to prevent getting caught and punished, I wouldn't have much sympathy. The guy who betrayed my parents did that, and so did Voldemort."

"Ah", said Hamish, "and how would you define a person as 'evil'?"

Harry looked very puzzled at this line of questions. "I'm not really sure. I guess that, specifically, if they are trying to kill me or my friends, I would consider them evil, like Voldemort and the Death Eaters. I mean, I have killed people, but I don't think I was evil in doing so. I had to kill them to stop them from killing other people."

Hamish said "So killing someone to stop them killing others is not necessarily evil?"

Harry thought, and then said "I'm not sure, but I don't think so. But if they are killing someone to prevent them stopping an evil person, so they are defending the evil person, that's wrong and they are part of the evil. I guess you could say that if you had to kill someone to stop the killing, that would not be evil, but if they are intending to continue killing if they are not stopped, they would be evil."

Hamish thought for a moment. "A good answer to a very hard question. But what if the killing was political?"

Harry looked puzzled again. "I don't know much about politics. Lots of people try to take control, for their own gain, or because they think they can help, or they just think they have a better way to do things. That doesn't necessarily make them evil."

"But what if, because they want to take over, they commit evil acts?" Hamish asked. "What about those seeking refuge from a war?"

Harry sipped at his drink, and one of the house elves replenished it. Without a conscious effort, Harry thanked the elf, which Hamish (and the other elves in the room) observed with approval. It was another indication of Harry's character.

Harry pondered "Again, a hard one. As I said before, if they were evil, or planning to commit evil acts, I would not feel sympathy for them, but otherwise... I'm going to have to think about this more. Hamish, may I ask why you are asking me these things?"

Hamish nodded. He looked over towards the fireplace where a female elf looked back at him, smiled and nodded. He then said very seriously and formally, "My Laird, first I must tell you that you have been under close scrutiny. Mira, the elf over by the fireplace, is a Truth-seer, and she has been observing your answers. I do not apologize for this, because people's lives are at stake."

Harry and Hermione, who had been sitting near and listening to the conversation, were stunned at this statement.

Hamish continued, "Mira has just indicated to me that your answers were truthful and sincere. Therefore, I will tell you the truth about this place and how we fit into Scottish history. The Clan Dubh has sheltered refugees from a number of wars and strife. I mentioned that I gave my oath to the clan the year Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to France. I am one of the refugees, as are many of my folk here at the castle. After the Battle at Culloden, the Duke of Cumberland, whom the people of the Highlands have named 'Cumberland the Butcher', went through the Highlands slaughtering all he could find, man woman and child. In those days, they burned witches, alive. As the eldest son of the chief elf to the Prince, I still have a price on my head. Morag is the hereditary chief of the Royal Clan of Stuart; it has been two and a half centuries since, but she still has a death sentence from the English crown. For many years, it was illegal, on pain of death, to even be named McGregor. Young Mhairi, you know about – during both of the wars with Voldemort, she was threatened with death and worse."

"You see, Harry, these people are putting their lives in your hands. You have accepted the position of Steward of the Clan, which means in part that you have accepted the responsibility to protect your people. We needed to know that you were up to the task."

Harry nodded, thought for a moment, then stood up. He raised his voice so that all in the room could hear, and announced "A couple days ago, I claimed the title of Chief of the Clan, and as such I also accepted the responsibilities of the Great Steward of the Clan. With authority must come responsibility! As Great Steward, I see it as my place to protect the peoples of the Clan, whoever they might be, with all power at my disposal. However, I will not protect those who are evil, and I declare that they abuse the rights of the Clan, and shall not be called our clansmen, and so by their own actions and intents have forfeited the protection of Our Clan." He raised his glass with the toast "Éirich Dubh!" In proper Highland fashion, he drained his glass and threw the empty glass into the fireplace, smashing it. The others in the room stood and cried "Éirich Dubh!", did likewise, and applauded Harry's statement of his position as Chief.

Hamish declared "Well stated, my Chief!"

He then continued, with a smile "I hear that you have found the chapel, and found some comfort within it. Most of us follow the old religion here, and one of my folk, that is, an elf, is an ordained priest and has been saying mass in the chapel for three centuries now, after he fled the monastery when King Henry seized them, and he wandered the world for a while. He is also one of Morag's staff, being of the order of St. Francis and having a way with the birds. We have some who followed John Knox when he broke with the Roman practice, or who follow Martin Luther's teachings. We have some of the Society of Friends, which you would know as the Quakers. Brother Hiro is a Buddhist monk, and is also one of the outdoor workers – he accepts Christ as one of the enlightened ones he calls Boddhisatvas, who stay in this cycle of life to save others. Father Ian met Hiro on the island of Hokkaido when he was travelling in Japan for a holiday a while back. He had travelled there in the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate and loved the countryside. Brother Hiro thought that Scotland sounded a lot like his home mountains; he came to visit, and never left."

Hamish laughed, "Hiro and Ian have some right roaring arguments on points of doctrine. I have to say even those of us who look to Rome have some issues with doctrine, for example, the doctrine of original sin – many of us do not accept the principle of inherited guilt, as you can imagine. Personally, I think Adam and Eve were set up."

"Harry, you and your friends would be most welcome to join us at mass on the Sabbath. If you follow other rites, we can arrange for clergy for their services as well, if we do not already have one scheduled."

Harry sat stunned at this information. He knew Hermione's family belonged to the Church of England, but growing up under the Dursley thumb, he had never attended church except the odd Sunday service at Hogwarts (also Church of England). He never heard anything about the Weasleys' faith, which seemed odd considering for how many summers he had stayed at the Burrow.

He was even more stunned by Hamish's information about the people of the castle.

He asked the old elf "I gather that the 'Old Laird' as you called him, was unaware of this arrangement."

Hamish nodded and smiled conspiratorially, "We did not want to vex his conscience too badly. It was more his Lady that we felt did not need to know about these matters. She already hated the place for its freedom. You saw how she treated Michael."

"Michael? I don't know any Michael related to the Blacks."

Hamish looked at Harry with a disgusted look on his face. "You probably wouldn't have known him as such. He was the house elf who served the Blacks at their London house."

Hermione interjected, horrified. "You mean Kreacher?"

Hamish nodded. "The old bitch never bothered to even learn his name. She just called him 'creature', not even acknowledging he was a being with a soul. Her children never knew him by any other name, and so Master Sirius taught you the name he had been taught. I have heard that you have been treating him much better than he was used to, but he has not been making it easy for you either."

Hermione, shocked that an elf would (or even could) speak so disparagingly about the humans who were officially their masters, asked "Why did Krea.., sorry, Michael, have those nasty pure-blood sentiments then?"

Hamish saw her shock, and smiled "I know, I know, we elves are supposed to speak glowingly of 'their' humans, and punish ourselves when we disobey. Bad Hamish!" He lightly slapped his left hand with his right, while he smiled at Hermione.

She smiled at Hamish, and said "Thank you for reminding me that this place is not like other places I have seen your folk, and my prejudices are neither appropriate nor valid. This place is not those places." They both nodded.

Then, Hamish looked at her sadly, "That house followed the English practise, where the elf was a bound slave! After many years of abuse and being told what to say and how to say it, he learned that, how do they say it, 'To get along, go along.' Nowadays, they refer to it as the 'Stockholm Syndrome', where hostages take on the attitudes of their captors."


	5. Night Visiting

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Night Visiting**

That night, Hermione Granger and Winnie, 'her' house elf, had just started Hermione's first language lesson in Scottish Gaelic when a soft knock came on the door of the washroom Hermione's bedroom shared with the room where Ginny slept.

Hermione said to come in, and Ginny entered, sniffling. She asked, "Hermione, can I sleep in your bed with you tonight?" The younger girl was obviously distressed (as well as undressed), wearing only the t-shirt and knickers which were her regular sleeping attire.

The older girl said, "Of course, come on in." Then turning to the elf, she asked, "Would you mind if we have the lesson another time?" The elf agreed, obviously pleased at the courtesy Hermione was showing to her by requesting a delay, rather than just declaring it so. Hermione thanked her and promised to meet again the next night.

As the elf left, Ginny crawled into the large bed, cuddled up to Hermione, and started sobbing uncontrollably. Hermione hugged her friend, asking what was wrong.

Ginny spoke haltingly, through her tears. "This place, it's all wrong." She sobbed and spoke all in a rush as if to get it all out before she broke down completely, "It'stooquiet, myroomistoobig, ImissmyMomandFred'sdead!" With this, she began crying to the point where she could not speak any more. Hermione hugged the red-head to comfort her, adding her own tears to Ginny's in memory of the rascally brother who had died fighting in the battle at Hogwarts. Through her sobbing, Ginny sobbed out, "And Harry is so different here!"

After a while, Ginny's sobbing diminished to a soft whimpering, and Hermione asked, "How is your room too big? Your dorm room at Hogwarts is bigger." Ginny said softly, "In my dorm room, there are four other girls, so the room is full. You know how small my room is at home. And it's too quiet. In the dorm, there is always the sound of breathing and snoring, the other girls shifting in their beds, the beds creaking, and so on. At home, the house has its own sounds as it bends in the wind, and there are always the sounds of the family. Here, I'm all alone in the big room, and the castle doesn't make noise the way home does. And I'm lonely. Hermione, I don't mean that I don't like being with you and Harry, but I think I need to go home. I miss my Mom, and I think with Fred gone (sob), she needs me to be there. I have to go. I need to go now."

Hermione bit her lip as she thought about this change in plans. She said, "Well, we're going to have to tell Harry. If you are going to go now, we need to tell him now. Let's go." The two got out of the large bed, and Hermione looked at Ginny's outfit. She giggled. Ginny looked at her puzzled. Hermione said, "Ah Ginny, I think we're going to have to do something about what you're wearing. Looking like that, he might not let you leave."

Ginny looked down at her t-shirt and knickers. She giggled a bit "You think the knickers are too much?" Hermione laughed "I think it's more a case of too little. Hang on a tick." Casting her spell wandlessly, Hermione charmed Ginny's t-shirt into a knee length nightgown of the same material, that fit her figure well. Ginny looked down at her adjusted outfit, "Nice. I don't think I need the knickers now". Hermione agreed and said, "Well, the seams do catch on the nightie, so the panty-lines show." Ginny declared "Right, no knickers!", and slipped her underpants off, dropping them onto Hermione's bed.

The two walked across the hall to Harry's room, and knocked on the door. After a pause, a sleepy voice said to come in. They entered Harry's room as he was putting on his glasses.

Harry stared at the two young ladies dressed only in their nighties. He said, "You two had better be a dream, or Ron is going to kill me. And then Ginny's other brothers are going to kill me. Then Mrs. Weasley is going to kill me. Then, if I'm not dead yet, Ron will kill me again. You realize, of course, that what I think you're suggesting is every teen-age boy's fantasy." Harry could not help noticing that both young women had hourglass figures, although Ginny's, taking after her mother's, was more along the lines of 'fifteen minutes past the hour', while Hermione's was more 'half-past'.

The girls giggled, and shook their heads. With a naughty twinkle in her eye, Hermione said, "Sorry Harry, maybe later, but not tonight. Ginny's going to leave for home."

Harry looked incredulous. "Now? In the middle of the night? What's wrong?"

Hermione looked at him, and said, "Harry, do you mind if we get into the bed with you while we talk about it? It's a little cold standing here in not very much. After all, we shared the cot in the tent all last winter." Even in the dim light, Harry could tell that the girls were cold, as their nipples showed prominently through the thin fabric of their nightgowns.

Harry sleepily said "Sure, come on in." He threw back the covers, revealing his bare chest. Hermione blushed at the possible implication of this (did Harry sleep nude?), but felt she was too committed to back out. However, seeing a flash of some material lower down, she relaxed.

Ginny climbed into one side of the bed, and Hermione got in on the other side, so that Harry was in the middle between them. He put his arms around them as they filled the bed, to prevent either falling out. Through her sobs, Ginny said, "You're warm" and cuddled up to him, then stiffened slightly as she realized she had just cuddled up in bed with the boy she had dreamed of taking to bed for years. She could feel that Harry was not relaxing either, as he too felt a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

Harry became suddenly very aware that, on the upper half of his body, he was separated from young and nubile female flesh by a single thin layer of material, and lower by only two layers (his and hers).

Ginny could feel Harry's body reacting to her presence, and looked at him with soft eyes, saying "Thank you, Harry". He looked puzzled (and a bit embarrassed from his involuntary erection growing under the covers), and said, "You're welcome, I guess. What are you thanking me for?" Ginny glanced downwards, then to Harry's face and said "In spite of me crying like a little girl, you apparently see me as a desirable woman". Hermione started to say, "Ginny, it's just.." when Ginny interrupted her "Hermione... shut up". The girls looked at each other and giggled, but Ginny's gentle laugh turned into racking sobs.

Hermione reached across Harry to hold Ginny's arm, and the younger girl responded by holding Hermione's arm tightly as she cried. Harry thought "Great Merlin, I'm a Harry sandwich. I could get to like this, if they weren't crying."

Hermione started to explain Ginny's dilemma, when Ron walked in from the shared bathroom. He looked at the bed with Harry in the middle, with a beautiful young woman under each arm. His first thought was "Mom's going to kill him", then "I'm going to kill him", then "But this is what Ginny has been wanting for years", then "But I don't think she wanted to share him."

Ron looked at Harry and said, "You know, mate, I don't know what arrangements you three have made, but don't you think that two at the same time is a bit greedy?" The four laughed a bit, with Ginny's laugh being a bit choked with a soft sob.

Ron heard the sob in his sister's voice, and asked "What's wrong, Gin?" She started to explain, but burst into tears again. Now Harry had one very seriously crying girl in bed with him.

Hermione explained Ginny's feelings to the two boys, while Ginny cried and nodded as the older girl laid out her plan to leave.

Ron thought for a moment. "Harry, Hermione, I don't want to be a killjoy, but Ginny is right. I have been feeling uncomfortable, too. I should go with her. I need to be home."

"Harry, I love your castle, but it's not my place. I grew up in a poor family, happy but poor. I just don't feel right here. I need my family around me, and I think that right now, they need me around too."

Harry said, "Ron, I want this to be your place, and Hermione's and Ginny's, and Neville's and Luna's too. And the rest of your family, and Hermione's parents."

Ron said, "But it's not our place, it's yours. You earned it. You seem to feel free here."

Harry turned a bit red, and raised his voice a bit. "Ron, if anyone 'earned' it, it was you and Hermione and Ginny and all the people who fought Voldemort! You guys fought voluntarily. Yes, I feel free, because this is the first summer of my life I haven't had the Dursleys or Voldemort hanging over my head. I have had this death sentence my entire life until last spring - I fought because I had no other choice. I got this place, and the others, not because I earned it, but because people I loved died! Can't I please share it with people I love? Those who lived. The ones that I feel _really_ 'earned' it!"

Hermione was in tears as she heard Harry's declaration of how he felt about his so-called destiny, and his inheritances. Now he had two crying women in bed with him.

Ron tried to simultaneously nod and shake his head, looking like he was throwing his neck out of joint. Ginny watched this manoeuvre and giggled through her tears.

Ron said, "Harry, I hear you and I know you mean it. Someday, maybe, but not now, not tonight. Tonight, Ginny and I are going home. We have to."

He said, "Harry, mate, I don't mean to belittle what you've done or what you have had to put up with, but Hermione and me, and my family, have been under the same death sentence. The Death Eaters called my family 'blood traitors', and have hated us since Mum and Dad fought them in the first Voldemort war. Hermione's family was in danger because of being muggles, and Hermione's relationship with you – that's why she had to send them away with their memories screwed up. We're all in this together."

"I am thrilled that you feel free. But being from a poor background, I worry that the money, and the status and all that is going to go to your head. Mate, don't let your possessions own you! Power can corrupt, and so can money. Just stay 'Harry', please. For all our sakes."

"Harry, the money you inherited is from your family and people who loved you too. That's the way it works. We pass stuff on to our families when we go. That's where yours came from."

Ron grew a bit angry as he continued, "I know Ginny and I and Mum and Dad and the rest have lots of money now, because of the money attached the Orders of Merlin we all got. I feel that money is the Ministry trying to buy our loyalty after they screwed us over for so many years. You have to know that I would give all of that money up in an instant, if we could have Fred back!"

Harry nodded sadly, "And Remus and Tonks, and Sirius and the others! Even Colin Creevey and his bloody camera!"

"Ron, you're right, and I'm sorry I snapped at you. But you know that you and Ginny, and your whole family will always be welcome in any place I have, any time, because you _are_ my family too."

"Okay, I guess we need to get your stuff together. The fireplace in the great hall is connected to the floo network, so you can floo home. I will come and see you off, so I guess we had better get dressed, or at least put on dressing gowns if we can find some, or something." The three in the bed started to get out, so the girls could return to their rooms.

Ron saw the top of Ginny's outfit, and recognised her favourite t-shirt. Knowing how his sister typically dressed (so to speak) for bed, he blushed slightly, and said "Ginny, are you dressed like you usually do?"

Ginny's humorous streak came to the fore as she watched her brother blushing, and shook her head, realising what he had assumed about her outfit. She said "No Ron, I'm not". As she got out of the bed, so he could see that her nightgown was of a more modest length, she said "Hermione insisted that if I was going to go to bed with Harry, I had to take my knickers off." Putting on her best 'little girl' face and looking over at Hermione, she said "Older ladies are so much more knowledgeable about these matters." She looked at Ron, Hermione and Harry, all blushing brightly, and said quietly "Three blushes from one prank. Not bad." and headed into her room to pack.

Hermione returned to her room to get dressed or find some kind of dressing gown. Lying on her bed waiting for her was a long robe of midnight blue velvet. She spread the robe across the skirt of her nightgown, admiring the complimentary colours. She was stroking the soft material when Ginny ran into her room carrying a similar gown of emerald green velvet. Ginny asked "Did Winnie say anything about making us these?"

At the sound of her name, the lady elf appeared with a faint 'pop'. Hermione turned to her and asked "Did you make these for us? Thank you so much", as she knelt down and hugged the elf.

Winnie smiled, surprised and evidently pleased as she had never been hugged by a human before. "Nae, those are the work of my eldest daughter, Elspeth. She is a better seamstress that I ever was."

Hermione's eyes widened "Your daughter? So you and Hamish are married?

Winnie laughed, and the elf's laughter sounded to the girls like the chiming of tiny silver bells. "Hamish and me? Oh, Lord, no! I could nae live with that man. My Sandy is the head beekeeper."

"Hamish's Lindsay is the taste-mistress at the distillery – no one has a nose like her for blending the whiskey or the liqueurs. You tasted her work after dinner last evening."

Hermione asked "How did you pick the colours for these gowns so perfectly?"

Winnie replied "Well, I am in charge of looking after you, _and_ your laundry. For you, Hermione, I noticed that your favourite underthings, and that nightgown you have on, are all shades of purplish blue; it seems the same as the periwinkle flowers in the courtyard. Elspeth and I thought that with a dressing gown, you needed something which would contrast but not clash, so a bit of your nightie showing at the neck would be offset by the darker colour of the outer gown."

"For Lady Ginevra, her long red hair needed some colour to set it off well. Half of her clothes go well with her hair and skin colour, and the other half clash terribly!"

Ginny snickered and told the elf "My brothers are great pransksters, and I have one brother who thinks of himself as the height of fashion. I wear clashing colours when I'm around him, just to get his goat!"

Winnie responded "From what I have seen of some of your clothes, that would do it." She continued "I spoke with Elspeth, who took a look at you during the day, and she recommended that shade of green. If you or Hermione would prefer something else, it can be easily done."

Both young women shook their heads, "Oh no, these are gorgeous! Thank you so much, and please thank Elspeth for us."

Winnie said "That I will do. She will be pleased you appreciate her work. We do not often get told that our service is well received."

Hermione thought for a minute and asked "Winnie, if you don't mind, and I do not wish to offend you in any way with these questions, how did you know which were my favourite underwear, and what do you mean about your services being well received?"

Winnie looked at Hermione with a faint smile, and said "Some of your dainties are more worn than others." Hermione looked shocked and said "I didn't think any of my things were so worn to be obvious!"

Winnie continued, "Hermione, you have to remember that my folk have rather longer lives than your folk. I have been what they call a 'body-servant' for this century and more. I can tell at a glance whether something has been worn once or twice or five times. Some of your undies have been worn at least twelve times, and been well cared for; they were obviously favourites. Others are brand new. The more worn ones are not yet worn out, yet you acquired more of the same shade. Your beautiful nightgown is also the same shade. Apparently, that is your favourite colour."

"As to your other question, we elves live to serve; it is our way of life. When service is perfect, it is often not noticed, as it is seen as the world working well without effort on the part of the people we serve. To an elf, for the family they serve to not notice the presence of their elves is a compliment to the perfection of their service."

"To have their service noticed, and appreciated as you have, is beyond our expectation."

Hermione thought about this, and was puzzled. She said "I had thought elves were bound servants, or slaves. Certainly Dobby was, with the Malfoys. Harry freed him, and he was happy about that. I have been trying to free the elves at Hogwarts."

Winnie shook her head. "Lady Hermione, I am sorry to say that you have misunderstood my folk. You had the misfortune of meeting Dobby as the first elf of your acquaintance. He was an abused slave, and Laird Harry did him honour by freeing him from those horrid people!"

"However, for most elves, we serve because that is our way. I am sorry to tell you that your attempts to 'free' the elves at Hogwarts are misguided. A freed elf is a disgraced elf, because that means that their service is found to be unacceptable. They have failed as an elf. To pay an elf for their service shows contempt for their work! Dobby accepted payment because of his gratitude to Harry, and that accepting his salary served both Harry, and you, better as you would not accept his service otherwise."

Hermione was stunned by this revelation. She had misunderstood the situation, which to Hermione was a personal failure of major proportions, and she acted inappropriately because of her own prejudices. She thanked Winnie for this information and said she would have to do some serious thinking about it.

Winnie smiled. She continued, "Thank you for considering my words. May I ask the two of you young ladies to listen to some advice from an older woman?"

Again Hermione was taken aback by this question, but she and Ginny agreed to the request. They were a bit amused by the old elf describing herself as an older woman, but this was going to be a woman-to-woman talk between the elderly and the young, and deserved the respect as such.

Winnie looked at them, and said "I have watched young people of your folk and my own for many, many years, and I hope to prevent some heartache where I can. I have watched you and your young men for the last few days. May I suggest that you do not rush into things quickly? You all have come through the recent war and you have emotional scars, some of which you don't even see yet. You have not seen a world with a future for so long that you don't know what you want yet for yourselves."

"Hermione, you have a passion for learning. The world is wide and there is so much to learn about. Please be careful that you don't tie yourself down too early to something or someone who cannot or does not respect that."

"Ginny, you have thought that you fell in love with the 'Boy-who-Lived'. You did not! You fell in love with the 'Boy-who-Survived', which is very, very different. Harry has not really lived yet, not until the last few months, because he was under what he knew to be a probable death sentence. He did not really expect to survive the confrontation with Voldemort, and he had no plans beyond that day. He doesn't yet know what he wants to do with his life, and neither do either of you, nor does Ron."

"You all need time; take some time to know yourselves before you commit yourself to another. I have seen too many young people commit themselves to someone they are not suited to, to wish that on any, particularly those whom I have come to respect. I am not saying that you are not suited to your young men, but you may change in the next while, and they may too; you may grow together, or you may grow apart. Please, take the time to grow and leave room for the growing."

Winnie smiled "Well that's my 'old lady' talk! Now we need to get Ginny packed to her trip home."

Ginny looked at the dressing gown lying forgotten on her lap. Having never had such a luxurious garment before, she said "May I take this home with me?"

Winnie smiled "Lassie, it was made for you, and for you alone. It is yours. Take it or leave it, as you please. If you take it, there will be another waiting for you when you return. That will give Elspeth something to do with her time."

Ginny grinned "Thank you, and thank Elspeth for me please. I will take it with me." She smiled with a twinkle in her eye, and said, "I wish I had one that really goes badly with my hair, to annoy my brother!"

Winnie smiled "I will just go pass your thanks on to my daughter. Just give me a tick." She disappeared with a slight pop, reappearing within a few seconds, smiling broadly. She then helped Ginny pack for her journey.

While helping Ginny pack, Hermione asked Winnie "Do elves ever sleep?" Winnie answered, "I gather you wondered how I arrived so promptly when you needed to prepare Ginny to leave. We do sleep, but we also align our senses to those we serve, so we can feel when we are needed. You two were awake and becoming active at a time when you would normally be sleeping, although being in bed with the young Laird, some activity would not have been unexpected, nor should be interrupted. But two of you at the same time, rather unusual, but then it is not my place to judge, and I don't presume to do so. After as many years as I have been around, I have seen much and many variations in behaviour in the beds."

Both girls blushed at this appraisal of their activities.

Winnie continued "I felt no reason to intrude at that time, but when you returned to your rooms quickly and purposefully, I knew I would be needed, and I came."


	6. Taking Leave

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Taking leave**

The four young people gathered in the great hall, near the fireplace which was connected to the floo network. This portal had many wards on it, so that it could not be used by any that had not been approved by those within the house – this precaution had sometimes proved necessary over the long years of inter-clan strife in the Highlands.

Ron and Ginny were dressed in their normal day clothes, and had their possessions in rucksacks. Harry had found a tartan dressing gown in his closet, which he had been sure had not been there earlier in the day; his pyjama bottoms struck out under the hem. He had tartan bedroom slippers on his feet.

Hermione was clad in her nightgown and new dressing gown. Both Harry and Ron remarked on how beautifully it went with the bit of her nightgown which showed at the neck and at the bottom. She had soft fluffy bedroom slippers on, and whispered to Ginny that she had tried on some 'bunny' slippers she found in the closet in her room, but was uncomfortable because the bunnies kept looking up under her nightie.

Winnie appeared with a slight pop, handing Ginny a package. She smirked and said "Something for your brother's eyes, lassie. Elspeth was quick." The old elf and the young lady both laughed with a twinkle in their eyes.

Hamish appeared, accompanied by a female elf of similar vintage, and a couple of younger elves carrying two boxes.

Hamish looked at the two siblings with sorrowful eyes. He said, "I am sorry for your leaving us, but given the reasons that Harry has told me of, just now, I would not have you stay, as that would be against your will. However, with the Laird's permission, I would like to send a present along to your family." He gestured to the young elves carrying the boxes, which they set down by the fireplace.

"You have been told that my wife, Lindsay", at this point, gesturing to the elder female elf, who bowed to the young people, and received a returned bow and a handshake from each in acknowledgement, "is the taste-mistress at the whiskey works. For many years, when there was a significant event, she would prepare a commemorative liqueur, or other potion. The rather satisfying one she made up, when the Bonny Prince came to claim the throne for his father, was very well received and a muggle version of it is still popular among the Scots."

"After the Battle of Hogwarts, she prepared a brew which brings to the imbiber's mind the heroism of those brave ones who fought on the side of the Light. It reminds them, with visions of the day, their exploits and their deeds. One of your elder brothers was one who fell during the Battle and, although he was a bit of a rascal, when you drink you will recall all the bravery and courage of a good man. Please accept this with the heartfelt thanks and admiration for your fallen brother, from all of us at the castle."

"On a happier note, again with the Laird's permission," looking at Harry, who nodded (as they had had a brief discussion before the parting, and Harry would not have dishonoured the old elf by refusing any reasonable request), "you and your family would be most welcome to join us at our Hogmanay ceilidh. We would be honoured if you would attend."

Ron asked "What's Hogmanay, and what is a kay-lee?"

Hamish grinned and said, "Laddie, it's the grand party to see in the New Year. Please come and bring your whole family."

Ron thanked Hamish for this generosity and thanked Lindsay as well, through his sobs. Ginny knelt down and hugged the pair of elves as she cried, kissing them on the cheeks as she did (which surprised and pleased the elves greatly). Standing up, she asked "How are we going to carry them?"

Hamish answered, "These lads will deliver them." As Ginny and Ron stepped into the fireplace, and tossing the floo-dust in, called out "The Burrow", the two younger elves picked up the boxes of liqueur and disappeared with pop, returning a moment later without the boxes.

Hermione turned to Harry and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing "He's left me.., us again, hasn't he?" Harry nodded.

Hermione looked up to Harry's face, and asked, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Harry looked at her. "Sleep?" Through her tears, she nodded "Yes, sleep. Like we did in the tent. You held me when I cried or had nightmares, and I held you when you had nightmares. Like that, just providing some comfort."

Harry thought about why Hermione had been crying when they were in the tent, and nodded. "Of course, you can sleep with me. For comfort." He then considered what they were wearing, and said "Should we go put on all our clothes and get the elves to lower the temperature to around freezing, to make it more like the tent?"

Hermione looked up at his face again, and said "I don't think we have to go that far. I think just our dressing gowns will do." And with a bit of a twinkle in her eye, she added, "After all, I don't think we want to be too comfortable, do we?"


	7. Morning Discussions of a Personal Nature

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Morning Discussions of a Personal Nature**

Hermione awoke the next morning to the sensation of a somewhat familiar arm draped over her back, feeling much more comfortable and warmer that the last time she had had that same arm around her and they were running for their lives. She opened her eyes to see a rather out-of-focus face very close, and a pair of green eyes looking at her.

Harry smiled and said "Good morning, Brown Eyes. What would you like to do today?"

She smiled and replied "Good morning yourself, Emerald Eyes. I don't know yet, but I know I need to go someplace else briefly. I'm going to go have a shower and think about it."

Harry smirked and asked, "Would you like some company?" Hermione gasped at this suggestion. Harry continued, "I could wash your back."

Hermione looked slightly shocked at Harry's implication, until she saw the smirk, and said "You have definitely been hanging around the Weasleys too long" as she got up to leave the room. "I'll see you downstairs for breakfast in about a half hour."

As Hermione approached the table in the dining room, Harry was munching some toast with bramble jelly on it, with a cup of tea in his other hand. As Hermione sat down, an elf appeared at her side and asked "What would Miss like for breakfast today?" Hermione faced the elf and said, "Good morning, Marsha. May I have some multigrain toast and some black coffee, please." The elf smiled at this courteous request, and disappeared, reappearing with the desired food. "Would Miss like butter, honey, jam, jelly, or Marmite?"

Hermione thought about her discussions with Winnie, and asked "Is the honey from Sandy's bees?" When Marsha nodded, Hermione said, "Then I would like to try the honey, please." Marsha smiled, appearing a second later with a small pot of creamed honey.

Harry looked across the table, and asked, "Who's Sandy?" Hermione looked back and said, "You've met Winnie, the elf who is looking after me. Sandy is her husband, and the chief bee-keeper on the estate."

Harry shook his head in amazement. "There is so much going on here that I have absolutely no idea about. I could spend my life here and not know everything about the place. I feel I have missed out on so much of the world."

Hermione thought for a minute and said, "How would you like to come to Australia with me then. You could see some more of the world. I have to go retrieve Mum and Dad, and I think I need to do it soon. Ron and Ginny were right in a way. I think I need my family back too. Since I went to Hogwarts, and then stayed part of each summer with the Weasleys or at Grimmauld Place, I haven't seen much of my parents for years."

Harry was surprised, and not surprised at the same time. "As much as I hate to leave here, I am coming with you. You've always been there for me; it's the least I can do for you. When do you think we should go?"

Hermione was stunned at Harry's immediate agreement. She said, "How would it be to go in three or four days? There are still a number of things I want to check out around the castle, but we need some time to make arrangements." Her eyes lost focus, and she started speaking very quickly as if to herself, "For instance, how do we get to Australia? Is there an international floo connection? How do wizards and witches travel internationally? I'll have to ask Fleur. If we go the muggle way, you would need to get a passport, I would have to get mine from the bank's safety deposit box, and we would have to get tickets and all that. Do we need shots? That would take time. I would have to get some sundresses and swimsuits - I arranged with them to be in Cairns, in Queensland, where it is tropical, and I don't think our clothes for the English and Scottish weather will be suitable."

At this statement, Winnie and another female elf appeared at Hermione's side, and Rudi appeared at Harry's elbow. The younger female elf looked at Hermione with glee in her eyes, and asked "Miss wants some more clothes?" Winnie laughed her bell-like laughter, and said to Hermione, "This eager one is my daughter Elspeth." Hermione shook hands with the elf and said "I am very glad to meet you, Elspeth. I am delighted with the dressing gown you made me, and yes, I would like some more clothes. Can we talk about it after lunchtime, to give me time to think of what I will need?" Elspeth nodded vigorously, as she had obviously not had an opportunity to supply a young lady with new clothes for quite some time.

Rudi looked at Harry. "Clothes?" Harry looked down the table at Hermione who was looking back at him, and then said "I get the impression my answer is going to be yes." Rudi laughed and said resignedly, "the lassies will have their fashions."

Harry looked at Hermione, and could see the wheels of her brain turning as she began planning the trip. He said, "You know, we do have some friends at the Ministry nowadays. Maybe we can get some travel information there, and get them to expedite a passport for me. I've never travelled outside England and Scotland, or even to Wales or Ireland."

Hermione had been staring at her teacup, in concentration rather than (having dismissed Divination as a load of rubbish) expecting any answers to come from it. She looked up at Harry and said, "Good idea. I am just thinking that we are going to have to travel the muggle way, or else it will be hard to bring them and us back into the country, what with international security and all. There will be records of them leaving, and if they just show up without having legally entered the country, there may be questions. I suppose we could get our connections to smooth things over or forge papers, but if it make it difficult for Mum and Dad to get their credentials and everything straight, that would not be good."

Harry looked at the young witch, watching her mull over the logistics and implications of their coming actions – she was thinking not of the extra efforts she would need to accomplish, but only of making life better and easier for those she loved. It suddenly stuck him that he loved her, and not just as a sister in all but blood, and that he wanted her to always be part of his life, and always be part of her life.

Harry said softly,"Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at him, puzzled by the soft tone of voice. "Yes, Harry. What is it?"

He told her of his feelings for her and wanting her to be part of his life, forever. She scowled slightly and said, "Well, that complicates things a bit." This, of course, was not the reaction Harry expected or wanted.

Hermione looked at Harry's stunned and hurt expression. She shook her head and said softly, "I'm so sorry, Harry. That came out so very badly. I was concentrating of figuring out how to get Mum and Dad back, and it just struck me that of we took your comment to its logical conclusions, I might have to change the name on my passport, and that would take extra time. Although a lot of girls keep their maiden names these days."

Harry was stunned at how fast Hermione's mind had worked through the ramifications of what he had thought was a relatively simple declaration of his love for her.

Hermione looked at Harry and said "Don't look at me like I am some sort of super-computer. I have to admit I have been mulling over a lot of things the last few months, since the Battle. You may have noticed that I have been sort of sweet on Ron for some time." Harry pretended to look shocked, and gasped "No, not Ron!"

Hermione laughed "Yeah, kind of obvious. I am ashamed to say that I really didn't expect you to survive the battle, and I was very doubtful about Ron and me too. I guess I thought that if I wanted a boyfriend with any kind of longevity, it would have to be Ron, as you two were the only boys who would give me the time of day. That was incredibly stupid of me."

"Yesterday, when Ron was shocked that I wanted to learn something new, it struck me that we are wrong for each other. Then, last night, Winnie the elf suggested that I should not tie myself to someone who cannot respect my love of learning."

"I love Ron dearly. I owe you and him a life debt for saving me from the troll, among other things, and he has stood by us both through the long years of strife. He is a good man, a brave man and a true friend, and if he asked me to go to bed with him, I would agree in a moment. But I don't think I could spend my life with him and him only, and I know I can't dump him the way things are at the moment – he is hurting too much with Fred's death. But Fred dying does not oblige me to stay with Ron."

Harry said, "Surely having a 'life debt' doesn't oblige you to sleep with Ron."

Hermione snickered, "Actually it can, in a way, and don't call me Shirley." She and Harry recalled an evening at her parents' house watching a movie on the 'telly', and both smiled at the memory.

She continued, "I don't know how much you know about 'life debts'. Okay Harry, what are you grinning about?"

Harry smiled and said "This is where Ron and I would look at each other and say 'Here comes the lecture'. He got to hate it, but I noticed how many times the stuff you told us saved our lives, and I started looking forward to them. Please continue with the lecture. I am dying to hear about life debts."

Hermione grimaced "Well, dying comes into it, all too often. When you save someone's life, they have a magical 'life debt' to you. It binds you together. You can cancel out a life debt only by some major personal action, like dying for them, or sleeping with them. You and Ron and I have saved each other's lives so many times and incurred so many life debts that there is no way that we cannot stay in each other's lives. It's still very sweet that you want to do so voluntarily." Her face took on a wicked smile, and she said "You know, with all the life debts between the three of us, I could demand that Ron come to bed with me, and he couldn't refuse. I would like to see his face if (or when) I tried it; I think he would explode!"

"However, the life force is so important magically that there are limitations on life debts. The force of love, and its practical aspect, sex, are so important and powerful, that someone with a life debt owing might demand sex, but could not demand that this occur without protection. Also, and very importantly, having such a life debt cannot oblige you to spend your life with someone."

Harry looked puzzled "Protection?"

Hermione looked disgusted at him "You really should have paid more attention in Charms class. Do you remember when they broke the boys and girls into separate classes? Well, they taught us girls some contraception spells, so we wouldn't get pregnant unless we want to. Talking with Lavender and Parvati later, I gather the boys were taught something similar." At Harry's puzzled look, she said "I gather that sometimes, their boyfriends would do the contraception spells, rather than them. Nice that they took the responsibility; a lot of boys wouldn't have done so. There are some spells for girls and some for boys; they work a bit differently with the different body parts and functions."

"Anyway, one example of how powerful 'Love' is, as a magical force, is the fact that you carry that scar on your forehead. Your mother's love saved your life when she died protecting you, and that life debt to her prevented old 'Moldy Shorts' from killing you. "

"Ginny incurred a life debt to you when you saved her in the Chamber. Gabrielle and Ron did too when you saved them in the lake during the Tournament."

Harry asked "Does that mean I have a life debt to Ginny or Gabrielle, too? Ginny has been in love with me for a long time."

Hermione shook her head. "Her loving you does not invoke a life debt on you. Guilt, maybe, if you take advantage of it, _and her_, but not a 'debt'. The debts are theirs, not yours."

"There was an old song my parents used to play when I was little, called 'Wishing and Hoping'. They pointed out to me that the girl in the song talked about all the things she was advising another girl to do with the result that 'You will be his'. Mum and Dad pointed out the logical fallacy in the song (Yes, Harry, we talked about logical fallacies in my family! It's that kind of family.) that, although the girl was convincing herself that she belonged to the boy, these actions clearly did not cause any sense of obligation on his part to belong to her! Mum and Dad were very clear that, unless the feelings went both ways, there was no real commitment and it was very dangerous to think there was. At the end of the day, a girl has to look out for herself."

"Actually, since the battle, with the change in your outlook on life, mainly in that you were actually going to have one, Ginny has started questioning her feelings towards you. That doesn't mean Molly will change her mind about wanting you as a son-in-law. There may not be a life debt, but there would definitively be a death threat if you dumped Ginny."

"Anyway, getting back to Ron and me. Ron has always been jealous of you, your money, your fame, and all the stuff that you really didn't care about. That has been a sore point between you two for as long as I have known you both. If I dump Ron right now, for you, that would devastate one of my best friends, and his entire family. On top of which, I don't think Ginny or Molly would ever forgive me." Her eyes winkled as her sense of humour surfaced "That is, of course, unless you marry me and Ginny both. Think you could handle that? You seemed rather keen on it last night."

Harry laughed. "I have to say that last night was a bit difficult on my self-restraint. Here I am, eighteen, supposed to be at my sexual peak, and the only 'peaking' I get to do was staring at you and Ginny in your nightgowns last night, and last winter peeking at your silhouette on the tent walls when you were changing clothes. Of course, growing up as I did, I thought I was supposed to feel guilty about doing that. Sometimes I think I must have been the only virgin left at Hogwarts with all the activity in the broom closets and the Astronomy Tower. Do you think anyone actually went there to look at the stars? And how many broom closets does a castle really need?"

Hermione giggled, "Do you really think that the builders of the castle weren't aware of what would go on there? They were the most powerful and clever of their age, after all. They obviously, shall we say, made allowances and provided suitable accommodations." She pursed her lips, and said "Well, as to the number of virgins, I know of at least seven girls in our year, if by virgins you include the girls who have never been with a boy, but may have been with another girl."

Harry snickered, "And I thought Hamish asked the hard questions!"

Hermione paused, looked down at her teacup and said coyly "Harry, if you want to peek at me, with or without my nightie, I am quite willing. I understand a lot of men like to watch a woman undressing."

Harry gulped.

Hermione continued "And if you want to make love to me, I am okay with that, too."

Harry looked at her with the feeling like his head and heart were about to explode as he said "No, Hermione".

Hermione looked shocked at this apparent rejection, but before her hurt could show fully, Harry continued in a quiet but intense voice, "Not 'to', Hermione. 'With'! You are one of my best friends. If we make love, it cannot be something I am doing 'to' you. It has to be something we are sharing. Hermione Granger, I would be honoured to make love with you."

Hermione's teacup crashed to the stone floor as Harry found his arms suddenly full of a bushy-haired witch kissing him fervently.

Hermione awoke to see a rather out-of-focus face very close, and a pair of green eyes looking at her. Harry smiled and said "Good afternoon, Brown Eyes. So, any idea so far how we are going to make this all work? "

She smiled and replied "Good afternoon yourself, Emerald Eyes. You know, last night and this morning were the first times you said anything even vaguely suggestive to me – I guess I'm just easy to fall for a slick line so quickly. I know I'm not the prettiest girl in the world, but it was still nice to think that you see me as a desirable woman too." She smiled at her best friend and companion.

Harry smiled and said, "Well, I would think that I have just demonstrated that I do see you as very desirable. I gather my efforts were inadequate on this point. And as to your idea of not being pretty, that's rubbish – you may not be conventionally pretty like your airhead dorm-mates, but you are one of the most gorgeous women in the world."

Hermione laughed and smiled coyly. "Do I detect a note of personal bias? No, I think your efforts to convince me were quite satisfactory. Also, just because Lavender and Parvati aren't interested in stuff you are interested in, they're no dummies, even if they do tend to giggle a lot like little girls." She paused, and her brow wrinkled as she thought for a moment. "You know, I think it's going to make things a bit more complicated. I guess it depends on whether we marry Ginny as well. If we do, I want my fair share of time with her too."

Harry burst out laughing at this scenario. "I hadn't thought of that aspect. You're right, of course. Fair is fair."

Hermione paused, and then said, "You know, we have another very serious complication. Luna has told me and Ginny in no uncertain terms, that whichever one of us bagged you, she wants visiting rights."

Harry gulped, and said "Bagged me? What am I, game?"

Hermione smiled, and looked at him through lowered eye-lashes "Seems to me you were pretty game just now. Besides, your patronus is a stag."

Harry kissed her eye-lids, "Okay, my little otter, Luna can come over and play too. Any other arrangements I should know about?"

Hermione seemed to be thinking about it, and appeared to be counting her fingers. "No, I think that's it. Neville and Hannah seem pretty committed to each other. We could check with Lavender and see if she's interested." She laughed as Harry started gagging, and then his stomach rumbled. She said "I guess we missed lunch. I am sure we can find a snack, or have Marsha whip us up a sandwich or something. Oh, my gosh, I was supposed to get together with Elspeth to talk about clothes for Australia."

Hermione also realized that, for the first time in her life, someone had just come up with a nickname for her that she didn't mind. "Your little otter, I like that. Us otters are very playful, you know." She cuddled up to Harry, giving him a tight hug.

She became very serious. "Harry, I don't mean to be unappreciative, or to break the mood, but I don't know if this will be temporary or permanent. I don't want to hurt you in any way, ever. But as Winnie mentioned, we have both..., we have all, come through a lot, and we have a lot of growing to do. I don't know what I want to do with my life yet, and I'm pretty sure you don't either. We need room to grow. If we grow together, so be it and it will be wonderful. If we grow apart, I guess that is to be too. I know we are going to be part of each other's lives, we couldn't do otherwise. I just have no idea what part."

"When I was a little girl, I had visions of the future, where I was sitting in a comfortable chair, reading stories to a little girl or little boy, and sometimes both. In recent years, sometimes the child had red hair, and sometime they had green eyes. They may be mine, my own children, or nieces and nephews, I don't know. I would enjoy that future, but not yet. There is so much to do. And first, we have to get my parents back to England." With that, she got up and went to get dressed. Harry's eyes followed her retreating figure, with a contentment he had never felt before.


	8. Dancing Lessons

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Author's notes on the update:** I have updated this section, as there is a scene I have always felt necessary, but hadn't included in the original draft. In revising, two additional scenes made their appearance known and would not let go (plot bunnies are very persistent critters), so I have added them in, too.

**Dancing Lessons**

It was late in the afternoon that Harry sent an owl to the Ministry of Magic's Foreign Affairs branch, asking for the forms needed to get a passport so that he could visit his overseas holdings, notably his vineyards in Australia. Rather than receiving the application forms by return owl, the returning bird brought back a diplomatic-level passport and a note from the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Overseas Wizarding Cooperation, asking if Lord Potter-Black would be willing to act as temporary ambassador-plenipotentiary from the British Wizengamot to the Australia High Council of Wizards and Witches while he was attending to his own business. If Harry was willing to drop in to visit with the head of the Council in Canberra while in the country, he would be provided with diplomatic letters of introductions to present to Her Honour the High Witch, and a request to reinstate diplomatic relations which had been broken off during the recent 'problems' (the Aussies seemed to want nothing to do with the Ministry when it was under Voldemort's control). Any persons travelling with him would also be issued diplomatic passports of an appropriate rank.

It was specifically pointed out that these passports provided the advantage that their luggage would be covered by diplomatic regulations and would not be subject to search by muggle security, thereby allowing them to travel with magical artefacts if they desired. All transportation would be covered first class and covered at Ministry expense. If Lord Potter-Black preferred to travel by floo, similar arrangements would be made to freely access the International system, with all-level access to the magical wing of the British High Commission (which for non-Commonwealth countries would have been called the embassy) and free use of the public and diplomatic level floos in Australia.

Rather flabbergasted by this letter, he showed it to Hermione. She nodded and said, "Some medium-level bureaucrat is trying to tap-dance their way around the way they have treated us for the last couple years. Sounds like it could be fun to take advantage of them for a change, and of the chance to meet some of the locals. If nothing else, it should smooth out the problem I saw in arranging for floo access. I mean, paying for the trip didn't even enter into it, what with the Order of Merlin honorarium money I have, and I had been intending to foot the bill being as it is _my_ parents. Having diplomatic status may help with details, like selling property if they bought some (and if they even want to sell it). They may even want to stay there."

"I guess the next tap-dance we are going to have to do is to meet Mum and Dad, who won't know me from Eve, nor you from Adam, and get together with them for long enough to reverse the memory blocks and fill them in on what has happened over the last year. I know that they did agree to the block, but they were rather reluctant even when they agreed with my reasons. They're pretty smart, and pretty stubborn people. Even though it was done 'for the greater good' (you know, Harry, I hate that expression), they are going to have some resentment about it. I just hope they can and will forgive me someday. I did it because I love them and wanted to protect them, but it was still a horrible thing to do to people you care about."

"The next dance is going to be them getting to know you as the man you are, and not the timid schoolboy they met years ago. I don't know how we are going to explain our relationship to them, as I am not really sure what it is myself, yet."

"Here's an idea. What do you think of the idea of going down by floo, and coming back with them via the south sea islands? I know it's shorter coming around the other way, over India and Singapore and such, but that would give us some time to get reacquainted, some time that I think is going to be really needed. Travelling on a diplomatic passport would let them fly first class too (although I was going to arrange that, anyway), but it would eliminate any problem that we had not left the country by muggle means, as I am sure that travel as a diplomat has to be registered in the system somewhere, so there would be no problem re-entering the country on a muggle airplane – either than or we could side-along them both and come in the wizarding way."

Harry shook his head in amazement at the speed with which Hermione had worked out the consequences of the Ministry's offer. He said, "You know, whoever it was who said you were the smartest witch of our generation really underestimated you!" This observation earned him a powerful hug and some serious kisses.

Harry bit his lip as he thought for a minute, then he smiled. "You know," he said, "this might also help with another thing I was worried about. You heard Hamish last night (was it only last night? Great Merlin, time goes fast when you're otherwise occupied with tedious chores)". This statement earned him a hard punch in the arm, followed by another kiss, plus a kiss on the punched area 'to make it better'. Harry grinned at Hermione "Is that something you learned in Charms class, or something Madame Pomfrey taught you one of the times while I was out cold?" Hermione smiled and said "No, it's just standard medical practice among muggle children!"

Harry chuckled, "I'll have to remember that. Anyway, you heard about the legal problems facing some of the people here. I made an oath to protect the people of the clan with all the power at my disposal, and I have an idea of how to fulfil that oath, as least in part. If I can see a way to do some good, and don't follow through, then I am a hypocrite who doesn't deserve any joy this place gives me."

Hermione smiled "Is this going to be another 'Harry-saving-people thing'?"

Harry smiled "Of course, what else! I was thinking that having my supposedly exalted rank as Lord Potter and Lord Black might be enough to swing some changes that I had thought of, but this appointment as ambassador might give even more weight to any influence I might have. This may take all the 'umph' I can muster. What do you think?"

Hermione's eyes glistened, "This sounds like we need some Weasley strategists and pranksters involved in the planning. Given the events of the last 24 hours, there may be some ruffled feathers to smooth, but I think we can make it work. We get to do some good, and tweak some self-important noses at the same time. Sounds like fun. Let's do it."

Harry sent off an owl to the Ministry, accepting their offer and thanking them for the great honour bestowed on him with the appointment as ambassador to the Australia magical community, and asked for a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, as well as the Minister himself, to discuss the protocols involved, as well as some other matters. He requested that the meeting be held the day after next, as it was getting late.

Harry then had a brief meeting with Morag, who approved of his plan, and thanked him for his efforts.

Harry also requested a meeting with someone in the Ministry's legal department, concerning inheritances. Hermione added a request for a separate meeting with someone in 'Legal' concerning possible career paths, as she was still concerned with the Wizarding community's treatment of the 'Magical Brethren', and felt that if Harry could put his efforts into doing good, she could do no less.

Harry sent off an owl to Ron, Ginny and George, asking for their help in planning a prank which would overturn an old wrong – he proposed calling it a Fred Weasley Memorial Prank, in honour and memory of their brother's treatment of Delores Umbridge and all her works. The two were going to need their help dancing around some legal issues and some historical problems, and who better to consult for this – Harry also pointed out that, as a added bonus, he could arrange to put them all on his ambassadorial staff at government expense!

That evening, the two let Hamish know that they would be leaving for Australia in a few days, on business and to retrieve Hermione's parents. They explained that, given Hermione's status, her parents had been refugees too. Hamish sympathized with Hermione for the situation, and said he understood her need to have them back. So many of the clan had gone into exile at one time or another, never to return, and he would not wish this loss on Lady Hermione.

Hamish said that he would definitely miss them, and expected them back as soon as they could come. He then brought up a potential problem.

"Last nicht, I mentioned to your young friends that we hold a grand party for Hogmanay. As the new Laird, Harry will be expected to lead off the dancing! If I correctly understand some information from Rudolph, Harry's dancing skills, shall I say, leave something to be desired." Harry had told Rudi about his disastrous performance at the Yule Ball in fourth year.

"At the ceilidh, we host the local gentry and some high-ranking officers of the regiment, with their staff and ladies. We do a range of dances, but mainly Scottish Country Dances, and waltzes. Harry, you would be expected, as Laird and official host, to head the first 'set' for at least a few of the Country Dances. Harry, have you ever done any Scottish Country Dancing?"

Harry gulped "What's a Scottish Country Dance?"

Hamish laughed heartily (Hermione thought the elf's laugh sounded more like a brass bell, instead of Winnie's silver bell laugh). He said "I'll take that to mean 'no'. The country dances are the social dances of Scotland, as opposed to the Highland dancing, which were the war dances (although they're more often done by young lassies these days)."

"Well, we do have a small ceilidh for Saint Andrew's Day at the end of November. How would it be if I arrange for the local 'dancie', what you southerners would call a 'dancing instructor', to come in for a day or two before, and give you some lessons? If you have some friends you want to invite to the Hogmanay party, she could teach them as well – none of the fancier ones like 'Greenwich Hill' or 'Schiehallion', mind you, but enough that you can lead the dance without any shame."

Harry grimaced and said that would be fine. Hermione, of course, heard that there were more complex dances to be learned as well, and saw a new challenge – she had taken dance lessons when she was a little girl, and had done some Highland dancing. At the parties after her competitions, she had seen some Scottish Country Dancing too, and had thought the patterns and sociability of the dances intriguing.

The next day, the Weasleys got in touch, and Harry floo'd over to the Burrow. He explained his plans and the three red-heads readily agreed to the scheme. Harry also invited the entire family to both the St Andrew's Day and Hogmanay ceilidhs, and told them about the promised dancing lessons. Ginny's eyes lit up, while Ron complained that Harry just wanted to put him in a dress so he would look stupid – Harry replied that the elves had told him that he could wear tartan trousers (or 'troose') if he preferred. George asked, if the men were going to wear 'dresses' as Ron had said, whether he could come in a long formal ball-gown – he had a pink chiffon number all picked out.

That afternoon, Harry and Hermione located the castle's swimming pool and had a relaxing swim and soak in the hot-spring waters, where they discussed the logistics of retrieving her parents. As Monica and Wendel Wilkins had left the country, Monica and Wendel would have to return (at least as far as the customs and immigration services were concerned) before they resumed their identities of Doctors Elly and Gil Granger, but they would have to regain their identities and memories before they left Australia. Hermione feared that they might decide they wanted to stay in Australia, and that she would lose the opportunity of seeing them very often. Harry reminded her that, as she would be travelling on a British diplomatic passport, even if her parents wished to stay 'Down Under' she would be able to visit as freely and as often as she pleased. Even if they stayed, it would be criminal to deny them their identities and their professional standing – this might take some negotiations with the Australian authorities, both civil and dental, but it would need to be done.

That evening, Harry joined Hermione and Winnie for their first Gaelic lesson, as Hermione had promised the elf.

The following day, after another night cuddling to prevent nightmares (or so they told each other, snickering as they did so), Harry and Hermione floo'd to the Ministry of Magic's office in London. They were ushered into the Minister's office where their old Order of Phoenix friend and new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, greeted them warmly. He introduced Dame Maryellen Snooful, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Overseas Wizarding Cooperation, who would be Harry's principal contact and erstwhile boss in his role as ambassador.

The group discussed the plans for Harry's trip, and the Ministry's hope that Harry, as 'The Man Who Conquered', would be the person most able to smooth over the disrupted relationships between the two countries' wizarding communities.

Harry raised his plans and ideas for righting some old wrongs – Kingsley thought about it, and said he would see what he could do. He asked if Harry and Hermione could stay over lunch, and he made a telephone call to someone they should meet to discuss the project (Hermione inferred from Shacklebolt's use of the telephone, and the fact that he had to go through several layers of connections before finally speaking to the person he wished to talk to, that the person they were to meet was a rather powerful muggle, and likely highly placed in the government).

As they left the minister's office on their way to their lunch meeting, Hermione was carrying a diplomatic passport listing her as an Executive Secretary to the ambassador, and Harry had passports and letters of appointment for the three youngest Weasleys as technical and logistical assistants to the ambassador (with substantial government salaries attached). Mr. Arthur Weasley of the Office of Muggle Affairs and Mrs Molly Weasley, Domestic Engineer of 'The Burrow, Devonshire', were to be offered part-time positions (in addition to Arthur's regular work), as ad hoc advisors to the ambassador (with generous stipends).

After travelling by floo to another building, Shacklebolt lead them to a very large dining room, roughly the size of the great hall at Hogwarts. In the hall, there were a number of tables spaced widely apart, with both wizarding and muggle privacy screens. The Minister informed them that this was a 'secure' area, where they could discussed anything freely without fear of being overheard. Shortly after they arrived, a man and a woman approached the table. Shacklebolt introduced Harry and Hermione as Lord Potter-Black, and Lady Hermione Granger, and the unknown couple as Lord Ewan Dingle-Bury, Permanent Undersecretary to the Attorney General, and Dame Edith Kaken, Assistant Minister for Scottish Affairs, respectively.

Harry laid out his plans, explaining his desire to eliminate some residual legal problems from earlier times that seemed to be no longer relevant, but were causing some problems for both muggle and magical persons of his acquaintance. The two government people seemed quite aware that Harry had recently taken on the Chiefdom of Clan Black, and although no names or specifics were mentioned, appeared also to be aware of the problems he mentioned and appeared to be sympathetic. They mentioned that there were precedents for his plans, as Queen Victoria herself had repealed many of the restrictions against the Scots, such as the death penalties for wearing the kilt or playing the pipes. However, as there were matters of property and entitlements of members of the House of Lords involved, there might need to be some finessing and some vigorous tap-dancing to convince some of the pertinent authorities. As the lunch concluded, they said they would see what they could do, as the plan would require cabinet level approval, and thence up the chain of command. Hands were shaken all around, and the meeting ended.

Harry thanked Kingsley for his substantial help, to which the Minister replied that the wizarding world owed Harry so much that no thanks were necessary. Harry responded that even so, he was grateful for Kingsley's efforts and for taking the trouble to set up the meeting on very short notice.

In the mid-afternoon, Harry and Hermione went into their meetings with some of the Ministry's legal staff. As they met in the Legal Department's foyer, Hermione was beaming as she thought of the seemingly endless possibilities. Harry was looking rather stunned. He told his companion that he had solved one issue, but found out he had some other serious issues – he wasn't certain yet whether these new issues solved problems, or created more.

The two floo'd back to the Burrow, and let the Weasleys know that their suggestions and nuances to the plan had been successful, as far as they could tell, and passed on their official government documents. After an afternoon visiting with Mrs Weasley, and informing her of the upcoming diplomatic appointments, they returned to the castle to prepare for the trip to Australia.

The last week of November, Ginny, Ron and George Weasley arrived on Wednesday night to start their dancing lessons the next day. Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbott, Seamus Finnigan and Luna Lovegood also arrived, as Harry had invited his classmates from his year (at least those he had liked), as well as his Quidditch team-mates. Of their Quidditch team, Oliver Wood showed up with his wife Frida, while Angelina Johnson (George's girlfriend) and Katie Bell came as well. Several sent their regrets, and others said they would come on Saturday for the party. Hermione, Ginny and Luna had come over from Hogwarts by floo system; Hermione had returned to finish her seventh year, missed due to what Hermione was now referring to as their 'refugee' days.

As the house elves were assigning bedrooms, Neville and Hannah thanked the elf who was dealing with them, and said that one room would be sufficient for the two of them.

Gil and Elly Granger, Hermione's parents, came for the lessons as well. In Cairns, they had joined a Royal Scottish Country Dance Society club (there are RSCDS groups everywhere in the world) as a social outlet, and they looked forward to dancing with the young woman they teasingly called their 'new daughter', and her 'young man, whichever one it turns out to be'. Although they had largely made their peace with Hermione, there was still some residual tension and they saw this as an opportunity to get together in a relaxed social environment.

Michel and Françoise Delacour arrived with their younger daughter Gabrielle, Fleur's younger sister. They thanked Harry for the invitation, and commented that they looked forward to again seeing Fleur's 'Henglish' family. They also reminded Harry that, by saving Gabrielle during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, their family was bonded to him and they hoped to develop this relationship further (at this point, Gabrielle was blushing to the point that her flushed skin was showing through her silver-blond hair, as she had physically 'matured' during the intervening years and at least one implication of 'developing the relationship' weighed heavily on her mind, given the life debt she owed Harry, and what he could ask of her). The Delacours had learned the French 'contradanse' style in school, and had seen the Scottish versions during visits to the Edinburgh festival, and thought it would be fun to join in as well.

The girls immediately got together with Elspeth to arrange for party dresses, plaids (tartan sashes worn over the shoulder), and kilts. Neville and Harry arranged for formal attire as befit their ranks as Lord Longbottom, and the Clan Chief. George carried through on his threat, bringing a pink chiffon gown which fit him perfectly, to the amusement of the party (and the staff). Ron's first pair of troose were tight enough that Ginny claimed she could read the label on his underwear, so adjustments were made so that they fit as normal dress slacks.

During the day on the Thursday, a kindly middle-aged lady named Diana taught them the basic pas-de-bas step for the reels and jigs, and the graceful strathspey step. She explained that there were four basic dance types, the waltz, the reel (a fast dance in 4/4 time), the jig (a fast dance in 2/4 time, giving it a bouncy rhythm), and the strathspey (a slower dance in 4/4 time). She explained that, as it was slower, the strathspey afforded the opportunity to maintain a statuesque posture, which could look very masculine and feminine – she smiled and added "You can choose which it will be". Before she started the class, she insisted that those who had not done SCD before wear knee socks or support hose, as she said that this would give needed support to the calf muscles.

She then separated the group into male and female, and sent them to opposite ends of the room. She went to the group of men, and advised them that the floor could be slippery, and after a 'dram' or two, their footing might become uncertain and that they should choose their undergarments accordingly if they wore the kilt, in order to maintain decorum – she said with a smile "I know that in business, it pays to advertise, but it's not appropriate until after the formal ceilidh was over". She then went over to the ladies' corner, and looking pointedly at Ginny and Hannah, suggested that those ladies who were more 'blessed' than the average might choose to wear a sports bra or something similar under their gowns for the evening; she remarked that a bit of bounce or jiggle might attract the eyes of the gentlemen, but by the end of the evening, they would be in pain unless they stuck to the strathspeys and waltzes. Diana then brought the groups of blushing novice dancers together.

Once they had absorbed the basic steps, she taught them some common patterns, including the reel-of-three and the similar reel-of-four, various turns, and the flowing allemande turn in strathspey time. At the end of the day on Thursday, she taught them some simple dances – each dance had a fixed pattern of moves, performed by each couple in turn in a four couple set. Diana was amazed at how fast Luna picked up the patterns. She looked at the young witch and asked "You've done this before, haven't you?" Luna responded with her usual wide-eyed view of the world "Oh no, never. It's just that the patterns make so much sense."

As the class ended, Diana recommended that they all take advantage of the swimming pool's hot tub. She told them that, if the hot tub had jets, to have the streams of water massage their calf muscles, and if not, that they massage each other's legs (there was much looking back and forth and joking between the girls and boys as people speculated on who was going to massage whom, and to what degree). Diana pointed out that it was common for beginning dancers to find that their calves had cramped up the night after their first lessons, even with the support from their socks.

Ginny declared the first two hours to be a 'girls only' swim, and told the boys to take a walk to loosen up, and the pool would be theirs later on. The privacy spells were invoked, and the ladies relaxed with some girl-talk.

As they went into the change room, Katie Bell commented that she had not brought a bathing costume, so she thought she would have to sit on the side of the tub and just soak her legs. Hermione suggested that Katie could transfigure her underwear into a workable bikini, to which Ginny added that she could just wear her undies as is. Angelina interjected "Or you could wear nothing. Come on Katie, a lot of us have seen you in nothing, showering after Quidditch. And it's just us girls." Katie pondered the situation as the rest of the ladies changed into their swim gear, and decided that a bamboo-patterned bikini would be what she would wear.

The ever-observant Luna noticed that Hermione, Elly, Gabrielle and Françoise had no tan lines on their upper bodies. Franni (as she asked the girls to call her) said that it was common practice on French beaches and in most of southern Europe, for the women to not concern themselves with 'unnecessary' coverage, and girls seldom wore 'tops' until their bosoms required support. Hermione and Elly remarked that that was the practice in Polynesia as well, and when they had passed through on their return from Australia, they had taken up the practice.

Franni remarked that she particularly liked the feeling of freedom, and the flow of water over her unclothed breasts when she swam. She said, "It is so much easier to swim when you don't have those two 'parachutes' catching the water and slowing you down. When I was in school at Beauxbatons, I was on the swim team, and we had to wear special swim suits with high collars, so that no-one had an unfair advantage by casting low-friction charms when we were competing against non-magical school, and also so the boys would not have, shall I say, an extra rudder slowing them down." Ginny enquired, "What about the statute of secrecy?" Franni laughed, "The statute only applies in Britain. If you look at how it is applied, it only serves to keep the power in the Great Houses, and to suppress the muggleborn. In France, we had a revolution to get rid of much of that nonsense. Besides, what male hasn't felt a bit of magic when a woman bends down in front of him to pick up something, that she has oh-so-conveniently dropped in front of him, and wiggles her _derriere_, and which of us hasn't done that for just that reason?"

Elly laughed and said "You should have seen Hermione's sunburn the first day. Between the blushing and the sunburn, she actually glowed in the dark. She blushed even more than Harry and her dad!" Gabrielle and Ginny were shocked and Ginny gasped "You mean Harry saw you that way? Both of you?" Hermione replied, "Oh yes, he did." Then she giggled, "Harry says he is never going to be able to look at a sign in a shop advertising women's swimsuits, 50% off, and not blush from the memories." To Hermione's horror and the other girls' laughter, Ginny snickered "You mean, memories of your mammaries. Imagine that, the great Harry Potter, conqueror of Death Eaters, killer of the Dark Lord, terrified by Hermione's boobs!"

With a naughty twinkle in her eyes, Hermione smiled at the younger girl and replied "You should try it. You might like it. I know that Harry would." (It was only as Ginny was falling asleep that night, luxuriating in the new silk nightgown that Elspeth had given her, that she realized that Hermione had contradicted the general assumption that she had some sort of prior claim to Harry, and that she had just opened _that_ door for Ginny.)

Angelina stood up, and dramatically discarding her bra, declared "Why not?" Katie, tossing her bra aside, declared "I'm in, too". Ginny's Gryffindor courage and prankster nature came to the fore, and as she undid the ties to her top, said, "I guess I issued the challenge, so I'm in too." Luna commented, "Looks more like you're _out_, too."

Hannah looked at her rather ample bosom (currently bare as they were changing) and said "Well Angie, Katie, some of us do need some support", as she pulled on her floral patterned maillot. Katie said "How about this then?", as she cast a spell changing Hannah's suit into a flesh colour which perfectly matched Hannah's skin tone (effectively disappearing completely) except for two bright red poppies over the tips of her breasts, and a fig leaf at the lowest portion of the front.

Laughing, Hannah retaliated by charming Katie's bikini pants into a transparent net material which hid nothing. With giggles and laughter, charms and spells started flying around the change room altering patterns and fabrics.

Luna looked at the rest of the girls and declared "Well, I could strip off too, but I bought a lovely new bathing suit for this trip. It's very pretty, and I look pretty in it. Wear what you like, or don't wear anything at all, but I'm wearing my new suit!" She put on a long one-piece suit that had a scale pattern with the colour shifting from pale pink at the top that ended just below her breasts (and matching Luna's skin colour) shifting to a dark green on the long legs. As Ginny shook her head wondering how Luna thought this suit was possibly be called 'pretty', the young blonde sat down at the edge of the pool, the top of her suit appeared to blend into her body to become part of her skin, and the legs of her suit transformed, extending into a long graceful tail with a dolphin's flukes, turning the young blonde witch into a beautiful mermaid.

As the rest of the group moved into the pool, Franni mused, "I do not understand why different people have such different ideas of what is acceptable in women's swimsuits. As I say, in Europe, many women go, as they say, topless." Giggling, she reminisced "when she was little, Gabrielle said to me that they were not topless, they just had nothing covering their tops. But in America, they seem terrified of women's breasts! Yet they are also obsessed with women's bodies. In their entertainments, violence is acceptable, but anything to do with sex is forbidden. On television, the graphic depiction of a murder is allowed, but a mature loving relationship, _that_ is prohibited. In Japan, in the comic books read by young people, scenes of rape are common, but the image of a woman showing pubic hair is totally unacceptable. I do not understand it."

The women swam, or soaked in the hot tub, revelling in the warm water, occasionally massaging each other's sore muscles, and chatting amiably.

As the girls left the pool, passing through the boys who were waiting their turn, it was obvious to the boys that a good time had been had.

After dinner, Harry suggested to the tired (and truth be told) somewhat inebriated group that they repair to the observatory or other sections of the castle's ramparts to look at the sky. He commented that due to the low population in this part of the Highlands, the skies were very dark and the air clear, and you could easily see the lights of Hogwarts to the west. Those who had taken Astronomy at Hogwarts, and had not used the Astronomy Tower primarily for its more common secondary use (courting), agreed that this was an excellent idea.

However, when they emerged on the heights of the castle, they found that the sky was completely overcast and that there was a chill wind. Someone asked, "Anybody know any weather magic?" which was answered by Hermione saying "I don't know if this works for snow any better than for rain, but I'll try" as she started to sing "Rain, rain go away, come again another day." As he laughed, Harry joined in singing with her, to the confusion of the rest of the company. Ron looked at the two and asked "What spell is that?", to which Hermione smiled and said. "Just some muggle magic. Doesn't work too well in warm weather either," as the wind continued to blow. There was some low rumbling that sounded like distant thunder, and the friends were worried that the storm was getting worse.

Amid grumbling about the conditions, several voices suggested returning to the Great Hall for another round of liqueurs, when a light soprano voice called out "Hang on a moment!"

Luna turned to the group, and as she started to unfasten her elaborately braided hair, she pulled herself up to her full 1.5 metres height, and asked "Ladies, your assistance please?" Ginny Weasley, who had grown up with Luna and had seen some of her family's magical practices, gathered the women together who held out their heavy cloaks to shield Luna from the view of the males, as she helped the short witch free her knee-length blonde hair.

A moment later the boys noticed a gentle glow of a warming charm around Luna as she stepped forward to the battlements. This was all she had on, other than her hair spread over her shoulders and body like a fine yellow cape. Beside her on the roof were her clothes in a neat pile topped with her red trainers and her wand. She reached her arms forward and called out in a voice with a richness none but Ginny had ever heard before. It was a voice which contained an ancient command and supplication at the same time. (Later as the group discussed the experience and trying to describe Luna's 'weather' voice, Katie Bell came up with the best image, of wind chimes coated in honey.)

Luna called out to the wind and the clouds in a language unfamiliar to the others. Harry and Hermione could almost discern a very deep voice in the noise of the wind, sounding liking it was asking a question. Luna responded with her name, what sounded like her father's name, and a sting of other words in the same tongue. The voice in the wind seemed to respond to her, calling her what sounded vaguely like 'Luna Torsdottir', followed by a long declaration. As this sound was occurring and which in later discussion some of the group swore they could make out words while other said all they heard was the sound of the wind, the clouds parted and the wind died. Luna called back to the sky, and then gave a deep curtsey.

Luna turned to the group, and announced in her usual sing-song voice "He says we can have half an hour, but then he has to bring the clouds back. His schedule says that he needs to dump six inches of snow on this area by morning."

Ron Weasley was staring at Luna's unclad body, and mumbled "Why are you naked?"

Luna looked at Ron, and said "I am not naked, Ronald, I am merely unclothed. Being 'naked' would require me to be embarrassed. I am not, and therefore, I am not 'naked'."

Ron gulped, now blushing furiously at both the view and the rather pedantic answer to a question he had not really asked, and mumbled "Why are you unclothed then?"

Luna smiled at Ron and softly answered, "When you talk to him or his family, you must be in a 'natural' condition. That's all. It's the way you do weather magic. Otherwise, they know you are not serious, and they either don't pay attention to you, or dump a bucket of rain on you for bothering them. He says we should come up tomorrow too, as the sky is scheduled to be clear then."

Ron asked, "If you needed to be in what you called a 'natural' state, why did you need to have the girls surround you with their cloaks?"

Luna smiled, and said "I didn't want my blouse and knickers to blow away before I had them pinned down with my shoes. Any more questions, Ronald?" As he blushed, he shook his head, mumbling to himself.

Angelina asked, "Who is this mysterious and powerful '_he_', you are talking about, and what did you say to '_him_'? And what on earth was the language were you speaking?"

Luna smiled. "'He' is a very old family friend, the northern European Air Elemental. The language was Old Norse, which is the most recent tongue he is familiar with. I asked him if he could give us a brief time with a completely clear sky to see the stars because my friends would like to see them in this beautifully clear and dark sky. I asked him what the weather would be like tomorrow, and to give my regards to Ingrid. When he said we could have the half hour, well twenty five minutes now, I thanked him with the curtsey. You need to be very polite."

"By the way, Hermione, he apologises for laughing at you and Harry, and said 'Nice try'."

Gabrielle wondered who this other woman she mentioned was, and asked, "Who is this Ingrid you speak of?" Luna smiled. "Ingrid is his daughter. She is in charge of the design of snowflakes. She is _very_ meticulous."

On the Friday, Diana taught them some dances that could be guaranteed to be on every Scottish Country Dance program, and ones that would certainly be in the program on New Year's Eve which Harry would be required to perform 'adequately'. They learned several reels, jigs and strathspeys, as well as 'The Dashing White Sergeant' (a simpler group dance which require groups of three facing each other in a ring around the room), The 'Gay Gordons' and the 'Eightsome Reel'. Diana said that this last dance was often done near the end of a ceilidh, as it was sufficiently simple that it could be danced when you had had too much to drink, and actually was so simple that it was usually more interesting that way (both for the dancers and for the observers).

Diana also advised them that she had been told that 'The White Cockade' was guaranteed to be on the program, so that was taught as well.

During breaks, Luna was going through the books of dances that the instructor had brought along. She asked, "Diana, could we dance, or maybe walk through this pattern, the 'Schiehallion Reel'. From the description in your book, it should be very pretty, but I suspect it is too advanced for us to actually dance through." Diana asked Luna to walk through the pattern herself to show the rest what the movements were (and partly to test the blonde who was starting to really push her buttons a bit). Luna walked through the pattern perfectly. Hermione was watching intently, and said "I think I've got it", and the two young witches walked through the interlocking pattern together.

Harry, Angelina, George, Katie and Ginny looked at each other in shock. Katie said loudly "It's 'The McGonagall Loop'!" To the collective "Huh?" from the rest of the group (except Ron, who also recognized the pattern that Luna and Hermione had just demonstrated), Katie explained.

"For those of you who aren't nutters for quidditch, Professor McGonagall showed us this move she had developed when she was a student (and a chaser for Gryffindor). It's used for passing the quaffle between the chasers by flying very close to each other, passing the ball so no one from the other team would have any idea who was going to come out with it." Harry added "Sometimes the Seeker, me or Ginny, would add a fourth person to the 'loop' to mislead the other team's seeker that he had seen the Snitch. If the other seeker followed our seeker into the mix, he or she would run into the bludger that Fred or George had fired at the centre of the loop, timed to arrive after we all had just left, but the other seeker was just arriving. I think we can do this, too."

The former quidditch players got into position, and started walking the pattern. They kept running into each other, to the hilarity of the others. Seamus called out "Good thing we're not playing Slytherin today!"

Harry said "I've got an idea." He conjured a quaffle, and said "Okay, everybody run fast!" The players ran into the centre of the formation, passing the quaffle back and forth perfectly. Unfortunately, when they put the quaffle aside, and concentrated on the dance steps, again they ran into each other.

They added the rest of the group into two square sets, and tried it again, but everyone kept running into each other, with much laughter at the collisions. During one collision, Ginny, Katie and Harry were knocked off their feet, demonstrating to those with the 'advantageous' angle of view that, although Harry had _not_ gone 'regimental', Ginny had. As Angelina helped Ginny back to her feet, she leaned in and whispered "I see a little extra ventilation is preventing overheating. Yes?", to their private hilarity, while simultaneously watching Ron blush and sputter at the unexpected view of his sister.

Luna sighed loudly and said wistfully, "Oh poo, I guess not."

The ceilidh was set for the Saturday night. The friends decided to have a 'formal' dinner on the Friday night so that they could show off their new finery. Hermione wore a plain white knee-length dancing dress with a plaid (pinned to her right shoulder, as is proper for an unmarried lady) of the Black Clan tartan, matching Harry's kilt. Ginny and Luna wore kilts with white blouses and black velvet vests - Ginny's kilt was also in the Black Clan tartan matching Harry's kilt and Hermione's plaid, while Luna wore the Macleod of Lewis tartan {in the bright modern colours} which caused Ginny to remark that they could set her out on the coast to use as a lighthouse. Hannah also wore the knee-length white dress, with her plaid of the same unfamiliar tartan as Neville's kilt. Neville was wearing a new royal blue Montrose jacket with lace at the collar, while Harry wore a Prince Charlie jacket with a white bow tie.

Ron wore Black Clan troose with a sports jacket, on the basis that unless you had a tartan of your own, you honour the host by wearing his or hers.

Elves had brought around glasses of red and white wine, which the ladies had taken, except for Hannah. She spoke quietly to one of the elves, who reappeared with a glass of orange liquid.

The ladies were gathered at the base of the staircase when Harry and Neville came down from getting dressed. They had never seen Neville looking so manly, as the Highland outfit set off Neville's height of over six feet, and his broad shoulders. Ginny and Luna were almost visibly and audibly drooling. Several of the girls (and Hermione's mother) pressed a hand on their lower abdomens and quietly said something along the lines of "Whew!"

Hannah was looking up at Neville, with a glow on her face. Luna looked at her, looking at Neville, and looked at the glass of what she recognised as pumpkin juice. She caught Hannah's eye, indicating with her eyes Hannah, Neville, her own glass of wine, and Hannah's glass of juice. Her eyes widened and her head tilted in a question. Hannah realized that the hyper-observant and brilliant blonde witch (of whom it was said that she could put two and two together and derive the entire theory of differential calculus) had come to the correct conclusion. Hannah nodded with a smile which lit up the entire room, and held up a hand as if to say "Don't say anything, all will be revealed."

Hannah said to Neville "Nev, I need to speak to you privately for a moment," dragging him into a side room and closing the door. While the group stood around, a bit stunned at this event while they sipped their 'before-dinner' drinks, Neville and Hannah reappeared. Hannah's hair was a bit mussed up, and she was unconsciously smoothing down her skirt. The ladies noticed that Neville's sporran as rather askew. The faces of both were quite flushed. Neville said, rather too loudly "You have a couple good points, Hannah", at which juncture Hannah glanced down at her ample bosom, and blushed profusely while the rest of the group laughed. It was quite evident that Hannah was simultaneously embarrassed and aroused, and Luna looked at the evidence of her friend's erect nipples, remarking "And very pretty points they are, too."

Ginny asked Hannah what tartan she and Neville were wearing, to which Hannah replied "It's a Canadian one, the Niagara Falls tartan." Knowing that Niagara Falls was a popular honeymoon location, Ginny looked at Hanna with narrowing eyes, and said "Hannah, are you trying to tell us something?" Hannah looked over to Neville, and nodded to him. It was time for the announcements.

Neville drew himself up, and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, friends all, even George in his ravishing pink gown which is causing Angelina to question her choice of boyfriends, I would like to make an announcement." As he held out his hand to her, Hannah took his hand and stood close beside him as he wrapped his arm around her. "This beautiful woman had completely taken leave of her senses!" Hannah looked at him in mock shock. He continued "In spite of her better judgement, she has agreed to share my life. Hannah and I were married a couple months ago, so may I present my wife, Hannah, Lady Longbottom." The friends clapped and cheered.

Hannah blushed a little, looking up at her new husband. "I also have an announcement, which was the reason for our brief celebration." George Weasley called out "Is that what they call it these days?" Neville smiled and nodded. Hannah continued, "Well, that's what _I'm_ calling it. Just before coming down for dinner, I did the diagnostic spells. There is going to be another Longbottom born as the seventh month dies!"

As the group called their congratulations, Hannah looked down at her ample hips and waist, which were destined to increase in girth over the next year, and continued "And anyone who calls me Lady Wide-bottom in the next few months is so dead!"

As they went into the dining room, Harry asked Neville, "Mate, why didn't you tell us. We would have come to the wedding." Neville replied, "We wanted you and Hermione and Ron there, but you and Hermione were out of the country and the Weasleys were still really in mourning." Hannah cut in, "He wouldn't come to bed with me until he had made an 'honest and honourable woman' of me!" Neville continued "And she was _really_ insistent!"

Harry laughed, while Nev continued, "Gran was also very insistent that as Lord Longbottom, it was up to me to set an example of decorum – after all, she says that if we just fought a war to stop bad behaviour and to set the world right, it's up to us to show that even the high and mighty conquering heroes can behave properly. I know she's a bit stuffy, but I think she's right, too. Anyway, we're going to hold a party come spring, and of course when the sprout appears". Harry thought to himself, you can take the boy out of Herbology class, but ...

Harry nodded, but also knew that the dowager Lady Longbottom might find his own behaviour wanting. Augusta Longbottom was a woman whose good opinion Harry would be honoured to maintain. Between the information he had been told at the Ministry, and this news from Neville, Harry had some serious thinking to do.

As the after-dinner chatting and visiting continued, Ginny Weasley looked around the group and noticed that Harry was missing. She asked Hermione and Ron if they had seen him but the answer was a 'no' from both. She sought out Hamish, and asked if he knew where Harry was. The elf looked at the hall clock, and said "At this time of the evening, the Laird is often on the east ramparts of the castle. You might look there."

As Ginny approached the door to the castle's battlements, Winnie appeared carrying a heavy cloak. "Ginny, it's a bonnie nicht, but a cold one. You will need this." Ginny looked at the cloak, and asked if there was a lighter one available. Winnie said "Aye, but it's nae as warm." Ginny smiled and asked for the lighter cloak, saying it would serve her needs quite well. Winnie nodded with a knowing smile, muttered under her breath "Young folk", and disappeared, reappearing with a light, autumn-weight cape. Ginny thanked the old elf, and stepped out into the night.

By the light of the quarter moon, Ginny could see Harry standing in the southeast corner of the battlements, looking east. As she approached him, she could hear him sobbing. Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

He started. "Ginny?" Ginny nodded (thinking herself a bit stupid for nodding behind him in the dark), and said quietly "Yes. What are you doing here? And why are you crying?"

Harry paused, and said "I often come up here, and watch the star Sirius rise. You can see it just above the east horizon there."

Ginny asked, "So you watch the great dog following the hero up the sky? Just like at the train station those years ago?" She felt Harry stiffen, as he said "I'm no hero!"

"I look at the stars, the as-much-as-any-thing in my life is, eternal stars, and I think of all the people who died for me or because of me. Fred – I know he was your brother, but your family kind of adopted me, so he was sort of my brother too. He and George gave me my father's map. My Mum and Dad. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, even Colin Creavey. Because of me."

Ginny turned Harry around, and slapped him across the face. "Don't you ever blame yourself for those deaths! They died because of an insane psychopath and his evil followers. Those people would have died whether you were there or not!. My family was fighting Voldemort before you were born, and my Mum's two brothers were killed by him. They had learned where we were hiding. If your mother's sacrifice hadn't stopped him when you were a baby, do you think my family could have survived much longer? I would have died as a baby, too! They didn't die just for you, but for all of our world!""

"People fought along-side you, not just _for_ you. We all had a stake in this fight. You led us, but we were fighting for ourselves and our world, too." She took Harry's hands in hers.

"Harry, you saved people. In your first year, you and Ron, but mostly at your insistence, saved a little girl that you didn't like much and Ron hated because she was even more bossy than my Mum! In your second year, you saved a little girl who was a bratty little sister of your friend, who had a bad hero-worship complex, which you hated. This list goes on and on. You have _nothing_ to feel guilty about." "

"You couldn't have saved everybody, Harry. He was too powerful. Even the Ministry couldn't do anything, even when they weren't corrupt." By this point, Ginny was starting to shiver, and Harry gathered her into his arms inside his cloak.

Ginny looked at Orion (everyone's favourite constellation) and said "Harry, think of Sirius _rising!_ He fought to save you under very serious disadvantages, like being imprisoned for years. He raised your spirits, and helped you find out about your family. His legacies to you, and that of you parents, gives you the power to do some good in this world. Making you his heir prevented the Black family's fortune from fuelling the dark lord's plans. Don't you think that these are worthy things to celebrate! How about celebrating Sirius rising, and not mourning Harry falling? Because you haven't fallen! From what I heard you declare in the Great Hall, you are just starting to rise yourself into the powerful position that has been left in your care by people who loved you. Okay?"

Harry hugged Ginny tightly, asking "When did you get so smart?" to which she replied "I've always been smart, you just haven't noticed." Harry was noticing that this young woman, his companion and sister-in-arms, was definitely warm in his arms, and decidedly not his sister. She was a grown woman.

Ginny turned away from Harry to look at the stars again. She took Harry's hands from where he held her around her waist, and moved them to her breasts. As he held her and he could feel her nipples reacting to his touch, she leaned into him, and said softly, "Yes". Harry asked, "What was the question, again? I think I missed it."

Ginny moved Harry's hands back to her waist and turned in his embrace to face him. She pulled his head down and she tipped her own head up so her eager lips met his. After the kiss (answering in a tactile fashion), she answered verbally, "Doesn't matter. The answer is yes!"

Mr and Mrs Weasley the elder (Arthur and Molly) and Mr and Mrs Weasley the younger (Bill and Fleur) arrived Saturday afternoon. Molly claimed that she and Arthur knew how to waltz, and that should be adequate dancing for them. Fleur claimed that her pregnancy (as she was seven months along) would throw her balance off to the point that she could not be as graceful as a Veela should be, and that she and Bill could waltz or 'slow-dance' if one should occur (hinting broadly to Harry to make sure that several such slow-dances did occur). Therefore, no dancing lessons were needed for either couple.

A/N: The White Cockade was a badge worn by the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie (called the Jacobites) in the Rebellion (or Rising, depending on what side you were on) of 1745, to indicate their loyalty to the cause.

A/N 2: There is a story to be told about Hermione's retrieval of her parents. This is not that story. One may appear in the future. Suffice it to say that the effort was fraught with emotion, hard on the nerves, and there was some residual resentment, but the hardest issue to deal with was Hermione's lingering sense of guilt.


	9. Some Advice from Older Ladies

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Some Advice from Older Ladies**

In the month of December, Harry Potter sent invitations for his friends, members of the DA, and staff at Hogwarts who had fought at the Battle of Hogwarts. He checked with Fiona, the house elf who was sending out the formal invitations to the members of the regiment, and others, who were either magical or aware of the magical world, and made sure that certain persons were on the list.

As his trip to Australia had been a success both personally and officially, the High Commissioner from Australia was invited as well.

In addition to these chores, Harry spoke to Lindsay concerning the Hogwarts liqueur, to see if she could prepare a non-alcoholic version so that the pregnant ladies could partake. She commented that a non-magical version could be easily prepared, and she had done so already, but a non-alcoholic potion would take some thought and work, but she would get right on it, as the Laird requested.

Harry also made appointments with Augusta Longbottom and Headmistress McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall responded that she and her husband (Sean) would be delighted to attend the ceilidh. Lady Longbottom said that she would be happy to attend, but please do not expect her to lead the dancing.

Harry met with the elder dowager Lady Longbottom (for such was her title now that there was a new 'Lady Longbottom', as the new Head of the House had married, and the younger dowager 'Lady' was ensconced in a ward at St Mungo's with her husband who, due to his irreversible infirmity, under magical law had unknowingly passed the title to his son) in mid-December. In their meeting, she confirmed what Harry had learned at the Ministry.

She pointed out that the laws of magical Britain were indeed very patriarchal, and as such, although Harry was the head of two Ancient and Noble Houses, a woman could only be the 'Lady' of one house; her children could not inherit from the other house unless the 'Lady' of that house had no children, and the children of the first house were designated as heirs of the second. As the sole heir to both houses, Harry was expected and legally obliged to have two wives, to 'replenish the bloodlines' of both houses. Also, as the last remaining heir of both houses, Harry was also expected, although not legally obliged, to have concubines as well to increase the numbers.

Lady Longbottom pointed out that in previous times, among the highborn families, it was very common for no marriage to occur _unless_ the young woman (often barely more than a girl) was pregnant, as the role of a marriage in that society was to produce heirs, and the wife had to prove to both families that she was capable of this essential function. Love had nothing to do with it, as the women of the house were considered all but property of the Head of the House.

If the 'Lady' of either house did not produce offspring, and no heir was specifically designated, that House would cease to exist, and a minor House would be elevated to the 'Ancient and Noble' rank. Harry asked where the Weasley family stood in the rankings. Lady Longbottom remarked that, although several Ancient Houses had been disqualified because of their activities in the last war, the Weasleys were sufficiently far down that they would not be elevated unless at least seven more Noble Houses failed. She said, "I see where you are going with this. Unfortunately, leaving one House unsupplied with offspring would not bring the Weasley family to the highest rank. The next of the list is the Goyles, which I don't think you would want to promote, although how they managed to remain on the list at all remains a mystery to me."

Harry then asked about her feelings about his own behaviour. He had killed in battle, and he had slept with a woman (whose identity was carefully left unspecified) out of wedlock. Lady Longbottom looked him in the eye, and she asked, "Was there any coercion in this bedding?" Harry responded "No, not at all." The elder lady asked, "Was she tricked into bed with promises you had no intension of keeping?" Harry said "No." She asked, "Were you or she unprotected?" Again Harry said no, having seen Hermione perform the 'Contracepta' charm before the action proceeded. Lady Longbottom said, "This is the critical one. Were you prepared to marry her, or at least support and acknowledge any bushy-haired or red-headed offspring that might occur in spite of the protection?" Harry said, "Yes, definitely yes" realizing from the wording of this enquiry that Lady Longbottom was quite aware of who had most likely been his partner.

Lady Longbottom thought for a moment, and smiled. She said "I remember the passions of youth, albeit from a bit of a distance now. I know of your actions in the last few years from my grandson. He speaks well of you, and he has become a young man that I am very proud of. The fact that you are concerned about your actions speaks well of you. You may have been imprudent, but your intentions seem honourable. Given that you are expected, under wizarding law, to have two wives and as many concubines as you wish or can manage, I would expect that some exploration of that sort would not be unexpected, and given your age, I am honestly surprised it has not happened before. The fact that you are fully prepared to accept the consequences of your actions, both for the mother and the child, is honourable."

"Harry, as long as you continue to behave responsibly, I do not see a problem. However, these are matters which require judgement as well as passion. Too many of our people have been ruled by passions, and it had led us near to destruction. Be careful."

She continued, "Harry, the laws of our society are hopelessly patriarchal and archaic. I am from a high-born family, and was '_the_ Lady Longbottom' for only fifteen years until my husband died and my son inherited the title. I have been a widow most of my life. I have not changed, yet the authority for this House was solely held by the males, first my husband, then my son, and now my grandson. I do not begrudge him his position, but it seems bloody unfair that the senior member of the family had no legal authority just because she is a woman. Now, I realise that Neville recognises my unofficial authority (and he'd better not forget it), but officially, I have none. Harry, I understand that you, and your friends including my Neville, plan to make changes to our world, and to eliminate much of the bigotry and the unfairness. I ask that you remember Abigail Adams' request."

Harry did not recognise the reference, and asked for a clarification. Augusta smiled and said "When John Adams was helping organise the separation of the United States from England and draft the laws affecting who would have rights in the new country, his wife Abigail sent him a letter asking him 'Do not forget the ladies'."

Harry thanked her for her advice, and returned to the castle.

His appointment with Minerva McGonagall was set for December 27th, after Christmas. He had requested this timing so that they could meet after the end of classes and mid-term exams had been completed, so that she was inconvenienced as little as possible. This was also the day when many of the personal friends arriving for a bit of a winter holiday and for the ceilidh, and Harry felt his absence for the day would let them settle in more easily.

When they met, Professor McGonagall thanked Harry for his consideration of her workload as head of the school. She remarked that it was good to see Harry in good spirits given the trials of the last seven years, and his living conditions before that.

Harry was surprised that the Professor was wearing a simple blouse and skirt, and that her waist-length auburn hair was tied back in braid, rather than her usual severe bun.

Harry remarked that he had not known she was married. She said "Well, it was irrelevant to our relationship as teacher and student. You did not need to know details of my personal life." She snickered and with a twinkle in her eyes added, "Unless you were going to make a pass at me. I understand that you are in need of a couple of wives."

Harry choked on his tea. "Professor, I would never..."

The professor laughed easily (Harry realized this was the first time in more than seven years he had heard her laugh). "Oh Harry, you are so easy to tease. And now that you are no longer a student, and you are the Head of two Houses, please call me Minerva. You would be surprised how many propositions I get. Mostly, it is third-year young men and women who have just become sexually, shall we say, functional – they think they are now God's gift to women, and that all my stern demeanour is because I am sexually frustrated and that they are the 'answer' to my 'problem'. Self-important little snotbags. A surprising number are from upper year girls, who think I must be lonely and offer to provide me with 'company' – the sympathy is nice, but..."

Harry choked again "Girls?"

"Harry, you must be one of the most innocent students we have ever had! I guess it's the effects of growing up under the Dursleys. Yes, girls. You have to remember that this place holds several hundred homesick young people all going through puberty. What starts off as people sharing beds to have someone to hold them to ward off the loneliness, develops into sexual exploration. In some cases, it has led to lifelong loving relationships. Because they are generally more socially developed, this happens more with the girls than the boys, but both occur."

"My job, Harry, is basically to ride herd on about three to four hundred immature, sexually curious, horny, magically powerful teenagers, while trying to teach them enough magical control to not kill themselves and others, and be ready to face the outside world. It's not easy, and maintaining a strict decorum and demeanour helps keep them in line."

"Harry, it is such a pleasure to be able to talk with one of my former students without having to put on my 'Stern Professor McGonagall' face. It's so nice to be able to relax and just talk. I am also very honoured that you came to me for advice. How can I help?"

Harry paused as he tried to put his questions into words. "Professor,..."

The teacher stopped him. "Please Harry, Minerva."

Harry smiled. "Thank you for your confidence in me, Minerva. I'm lost."

Minerva looked puzzled. "How do you mean, 'lost'?"

Harry continued "For the first years of my life, I was told I was a freak and that nobody would want anything to do with me. Then I came to Hogwarts."

"At least once a year, someone, usually Voldemort, tried to kill me, and several others, usually named Malfoy, tried to maim me. I was under a death sentence all my life, according to the prophesy. My place in the world was either to die or to kill Lord Voldemort. Well, I killed him. Now what do I do? I have no purpose in life, as far as I can see."

"Because people I loved died, I have all sorts of money and property, and it's been fun. But Ron was right, I can't let my money and holdings own me! I have to do something worthwhile, and I don't know what it is. I don't really know who I am. As you say, according to wizarding law, I am on the lookout for two wives, and maybe a bunch of other baby factories, but how can I pledge my life to one woman, or two, or more, when I don't really know who or what I am?"

The professor tapped her fingertips to her lips as she thought. "Harry, as you may know, as Headmistress, I have certain sources and means of gathering information. I have heard that you have accepted the Chiefship of the Clan Black (by the way, thank you for the invitation). You have publically stated that you see it as your responsibility to protect the members of your clan. I believe your friend, Ms Granger, calls it your 'Harry-saving-people thing'." Harry chuckled at the professor's use of the same phrase Hermione did use.

The teacher continued, "Harry, throughout the whole time it has been my privilege to know you, you have been protecting your friends. You have been protecting even people you didn't like. Whether you do it consciously, or it is just part of who you are, it is something you do. There is no reason to stop now."

"Part of the profession of teaching is recognising a pupil's strengths and developing them if they are good, or trying to modify or redirect them if they are harmful. You have this tendency to help others. Through your inheritances, you have the resources to do a lot of good. I am not suggesting that you just give all your money away, as it is often more effective to use concentrated resources to address a problem, rather than spreading out the resource to the point where it cannot do anything large. That, in my eyes, is the only rationale for having governments. In muggle physics, they refer to it as entropy – when the system gets too spread out, you can't get anything useful out of it. Of course there is also the saying that money is like manure – if you spread it around sufficiently, it can do a lot of good, but if you leave it in a big pile, it stinks."

Harry, I don't know if you would want to become an Auror, although I think you would be good at it. You are a fierce warrior, and no one has taken out as many dark wizards and witches as you have. However, I don't think that you have the strategic or tactical turn of mind that your friend Mr Weasley has. Now, he would make a good Auror, or if he went into the military as a strategic planner, the country would be well served."

"I don't know if you are familiar with the special-missions squad of the Aurors, called 'The Hit Wizards' - nothing strategic or investigative, just going in and do the doing. If you went into law enforcement, that would be a place where your talents would be very useful. In muggle law enforcement, they have similar services, if you have grown tired of the magical society, and the way the Ministry, the _Daily Prophet_, and most of your classmates have treated you, I would not be surprised if you are even more fed up with the lies and hypocrisy as I am, and would be tempted to chuck it all! I have often thought of telling the Board of Directors of this place to take this job and, ah.., give it to someone else."

Harry and Minerva laughed at her delicacy.

"Harry, I may not be the best one for my job, but it is one where I can put my talents and experience to use in ways I think benefit our society and world. I don't know if you can ask for more than that. Perfect, no, but there are satisfactions to it, and get that smirk off your face, the propositions don't count!"

"Harry, you and your friends have talents that our society and our world need desperately. With her 'Freedom for the Elves' movement, your friend Hermione has shown a good heart and a distaste for the unfairness in the world. Your friends, the Weasleys, have been staunch defenders of the Light side for longer than you have been alive, my young man. I hear that young 'Lord Longbottom' (I still find that such a strange way of thinking of that timid little boy who stood up to you in your first year) has married, and intends to reform the morals of the Great Houses. These people need your help and support. How you give it is up to you, but I think you will find it fulfilling to do so."

"As to your romantic problems, I suggest that you do not rush into anything. As you say, you don't even know who you are yet. We magical folk tend to have longer lives that our non-magical neighbours, although not as long (usually) as the elves. As you have seen, to your distress and unwarranted guilt, the expectation of a long life is not a guarantee. However, barring any more unforeseen dark wizard uprisings, I would expect you to live well into your mid-180's. There is no need to rush (in spite of what Molly Weasley might prefer). Many magical folk do marry young and have their children early, so that they can focus their lives on their later careers. Some, like Molly Weasley, see their career as being mothers, and more power to them. But not all."

"I would recommend that you see more of the world and its wonders. That may include love, or it may not. Find yourself first, or find someone who can share the discovery. Don't settle on what is convenient or what someone is pushing you to do. As our late headmaster said, try to do what is right, not what is easy. Too often, I have seen former students who fell in love with the wrong person. With our patriarchal laws, a young witch married to the wrong wizard (or even to a muggle) has a hard time getting divorce with any sort of dignity left to her. A wizard who divorces his wife is seen as a complete failure in our society, if not a crude joke, and I have seen careers ruined by the man trying to get out of a disastrous marriage to the wrong witch. If you are giving up too much, or the witch expects you to be the 'Boy-Who-Lived', the hero on a white dragon, walk away, or if she has a fierce mother, run."

Harry thanked her for her advice, and said he looked forward to seeing her at the ceilidh. Minerva asked Harry to have the organisers forward her a list of the dances, so she could brush up on them as she hadn't done any Country Dancing for a decade. She said "Sean and I met dancing, but my workload here at Hogwarts kept interfering with dance nights." Harry asked why they had not set up a dancing club at Hogwarts, being in the Highlands. The Scottish witch laughed. "Unfortunately, Harry, only a rare number of wizards have any sense of rhythm or tune. You have seen how few students Professor Flitwick has in the school choir, and even there, he has to be lenient with the ability requirements."

The Headmistress thanked Harry for coming, and said she really looked forward to the party.

Molly Weasley looked at her daughter and asked, "Who do we have to talk to, to borrow some brooms?" Ginny looked at her mother, puzzled "Brooms?" Molly replied, "Young lady, you forget I was the first string chaser in my fifth year at Hogwarts. I know I haven't ridden much in the last few years, but you and Ron spoke highly of flying around the mountain peaks here. I want to see if the old girl still has it in her."

Ginny spoke to the elf in charge of castle equipment, and borrowed a couple brooms, and she and her mother were soon flying loops and swirls. After an hour or two, Molly had them land near the hot springs lake that Hamish had mentioned. Looking around to check that there was no one else around, Molly stripped down to her skin and ran into the water, in spite of it being late December. Although surprised, Ginny quickly joined her.

As they relaxed in the hot water, Molly sighed, "Ah, the old gal's still got it. It's rusty, but it's still there." Ginny asked, "Why didn't you go flying at home?" Molly shook her head, "Gin my love, we didn't have much money for brooms, particularly the way your brothers eat. I would go out flying when you lot were in school, and I could get a broom for myself. It's not as much fun flying alone, especially when you were used to the speed and excitement of a Quidditch match with fourteen top-notch flyers sky-dancing in and out."

Ginny asked, "Didn't Dad go flying with you?" Molly chortled, "I have never seen a man so airsick as your dad. I love him dearly, but he is no flyer. He tried for a couple years, to keep me company before your brother Bill was born, but it got so he would turn pale at the sight of a broom. Oh Gin, it's good to go flying with someone who knows how."

Molly sighed again, "Ginny, I think it's time we had a woman-to-woman mother-daughter talk."

Ginny looked around the little lake, and said "Well, being what we are, and who we are, this seems like a good time and place for it."

Molly laughed, and gave a bit of a sob too. "Your sense of humour reminds me so much of Fred. I miss him so much." Ginny put her hand on her mother's bare shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Me too, Mum."

Molly became serious, and said, "Ginny, you know I want you to be happy in your life. I mean happy with your job, happy with your husband, happy with your own body. I know I have been pushing you at Harry, because I thought that you should have a hero, because you are my daughter. But from what you told me last month, he doesn't want to be a hero, and he hates it when people call him that. But whether he likes it or not, he _is_ a hero."

"For years, people were calling him 'The Boy Who Lived'. Yes, he lived. That was _what_ he was, but as he became part of our family and we got to know him, it became clear to me that that was not _who_ he was. I don't think he knows who he is yet. He has been so

focussed on Voldemort for so long, that now that it's gone, he doesn't know which way to turn – it's like someone who has a chronic disease, and has come to terms with dying, and then they find a cure and they get better. They have no plans, because there was no point before, and now they don't know what to do."

"Ginny, you can help him find his way, or you can get in his way. You are a fierce fighter in your own right, but he may still see you as Ron's little sister; I think he knows you as more than that, but it can still get in the way."

"You know our Ron gets upset when you two are together, partly because he is confused. He wants to protect his little sister from guys preying on her, but this is his best friend and he wants the best for Harry, and he wants the best for you. Ron has to grow up. Ron has to let go of you too, and let you grow up. He's Harry's best friend (yes Ginny, okay, best male friend) and hopefully always will be."

"But Hermione is also a best friend. They have been together for seven years, they have hidden out in the forest together, they have starved together, and they have fought for their lives together. They share something you can never have, and if you try to break them apart, it will hurt them, and probably it will hurt you too because Harry will resent you for it."

"I don't know if they ever slept together (okay, from your expression, I gather they have), and I don't know if you and Harry were ever... (okay, that boat has sailed too). Gin, I've seen girls who sleep with a boy, and convince themselves that this means the boy is committed to them forever. This can be a very bad mistake. Sometimes it works, but usually not. Sometimes, the girl will get pregnant intentionally, so that the guy will marry her. We magicals tend to live a long time, and a hundred and fifty years of resenting the person you are with because you or he feels trapped is a terrible way to live your life."

"Ginny, I had hoped you would wait, but I know that the urges are strong. I also didn't want you to get hurt – I know girls who never got over the pain on their wedding night. Why some people think that two virgins can get it perfect the first time has always baffled me. That's why I showed you those exercises with the cucumber and that buzzy thing that your Dad brought home from the muggle store. I wanted you to be ready, although I didn't want you to be ready so soon."

Ginny said, "But Mum, you had Dad in your bed by the time you were sixteen, a full year younger than I am now."

Molly blushed and stammered, "But we were deeply in love, and there was the war and we didn't think we would survive long enough to wait, and ..., and you're not buying any of this, are you?"

Ginny laughed and gave her mother a huge hug, laughing "No, I'm not. But I love it that you're trying."

Ginny looked at her mother. "Mum, I know Harry is changing. I told you that back in summer. But I've had some time to think and I think I have figured out a few things. First, I am changing, too. Since Fred died, I find I am looking at things on a longer term, and on a shorter term. When I went to bed with Harry, I let him know that it might be a one-time only because we seemed to be growing apart, but I wanted him to know how much he meant to me. And to us all. (By the way, Mum, that ribbed thing you gave me to use really felt good.) I told him that I wanted him to be part of my life, but I wasn't sure what part yet. You know I got that offer from the Holyhead Harpies to try out after graduation – that would be a big commitment, and I would be away a lot. He also is trying to figure out what kind of a life he wants, now that he actually believes he is going to have one. I love Harry, but I just don't know any more in what way I love him – as a sister, as a lover, as a wife, as a friend 'with benefits' – I don't know. We decided we would take things as they come, and make sure we didn't hurt each other if we could help it."

"Mum, I _will_ make sure that there are no little red-headed Potterlings until we are ready for them, if ever. Don't worry about that. As to the rest, I guess we work it out day by day."

That night, Elly and Hermione Granger walked along the battlements of the castle after exploring the castle. They were wrapped up against the sharp wind coming from the mountains, but with a crisp clear sky.

Elly remarked "You know, dear, I have always loved looking up at the stars. You know my Dad, your Grandpa, named me for the angel who created and lit up the stars, in the Tolkien books. He was an astrophysicist, and studied how stars worked – it was a passion with him. When I was very little, and then when my adult teeth were coming in, I couldn't manage 'Elbereth', (it came out 'Ebuwef') and it was a bit of a mouthful when Mum was calling me to dinner, so I became just 'Elly'."

"When we were down in Australia, your Dad and I would go out of town into the 'bush', as they call it, away from the City lights, and just look at the southern sky. That's why we took you and Harry out there – it is just so beautiful, and there are so many stars that we just don't get to see up here in the north. And it's so cold up here on these battlements in this bloody wind! Do you think we can go in and find some hot chocolate?"

Hermione remarked "Actually, the castle has an observing dome that's out of the wind, and I can ask Marsha for some chocolate, or if you would like, something else."

Elly said, "That sounds really good." Hermione addressed the air "Marsha?" With a slight 'pop', the elf appeared. "What would Misses be liking?" Hermione said "Thank you Marsha. This is my mother, Elly." Elly and Marsha shook hands and greeted each other. Hermione continued, "We would like some hot chocolate, and we will be in the astronomy dome. And can I please have a little Crème de Menthe in mine?"

Marsha nodded and smiled "Yes, Miss Hermi. I bring choclit to star dome, and put sweet green stuff in yours."

As they moved to the astronomy viewing dome, Elly remarked "You know, I could really get used to this." When they arrived at the viewing area, Marsha had a large pitcher of hot chocolate on a warming element, and a bottle of Crème de Menthe sitting beside it. She said "Miss Hermi not say how much green in brown stuff, so I brought the bottle so she can put lots or little. This okay? Also, I bring enough for two or three mugs of choclit for both." Hermione thanked her and said that was a very good idea.

They got mugs of hot chocolate, and then went outside, standing in the wind-shadow on a tower, looking at Orion, with Sirius rising. Hermione got tears in her eyes, and said "You know, Mum, that bright star there, Sirius – Harry's godfather was named Sirius. He's the one that Harry inherited this place from. A strange man, and one of Harry's dad's best friends, but I think he was as close to a father as Harry ever knew. Harry has had only four father figures in his life, and three of them are dead, two because of this damned war, and his real dad because of the last one. I love this place because it is special and it's Harry's, and I hate this place because of how it came to him. He feels guilty that he gets to enjoy a place that cost him so much."

"Well", said Elly, "You can always come and stay with us down under."

"What!?, You're kidding."

Elly said, "Hermione, your dad and I have talked it over. We love England in the summer, and that's when we can do the most good as dental surgeons, because that's when the sports injuries are the highest. But having gotten used to a warm climate, we are really finding this winter miserable. So we got in touch with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia, and arranged to do a four month contract from January to April every year, based out of our house in Cairns for some of the time and out of Alice Springs for some. We would leave after Christmas – we wouldn't leave you alone at Christmas, and then we will head down there for the winter, their summer. A lot of the 'outback' places really need some dentists to come in occasionally, but can't afford a permanent clinic. We can do a lot of good there. And we get to look at the southern sky."

Hermione started crying "But I'll not see you for months at a time."

Elly hugged her daughter and said kindly, "Hermione, it's time to grow up, little bird, and leave the nest. You have been through a war as one of the leaders of the 'good guys'. You have people who love you here. You didn't see us for about a year and a half, and you survived it."

Hermione pulled her mother into a hug as she wept on her shoulder. "And I hated every minute. I hated what I did to you. I hated what I had to do to you. I hated Voldemort for making it that I had to do that to you. And now you're leaving because you don't want me around you."

Elly grabbed Hermione by the shoulders. "Young lady, you just stop that! You did what you had to do to keep us safe, to keep us from being killed! I spoke to your friend Neville – the bunch you were fighting tortured his parents to insanity and they are in hospital existing in a living death! Hermione, you were brought up in the Church – I can't think of a truer description of Hell than having your soul imprisoned like that. If that ever happens to us, I want you, no, I _order_ you, to find us in whatever hospital we are locked up in and kill us. Use that 'Avast ye cadaver' thing, or a gun or drugs, your choice, but do it! For our sakes, please."

"We will be back every year for the summer, and we can spend all the time with you that you can spare. Hermione, you are moving on, too. You're finishing school, you will be going to University, you will have your career and your family (I hope). You are a grown-up extremely capable young woman, with so much ahead of you. You weren't going to spend every waking moment with your parents anyway, and if you did, you would be a fool. I prefer to believe that I did not raise a fool. And you're a fool if you don't jump Harry's bones!" Hermione blushed brightly, and Elly realized that the jumping had been accomplished. She grinned widely at her daughter, "Well, it's about bloody well time you got your act together on that! I didn't knock the pins out from underneath your father until we were twenty-one; of course, we didn't even meet until we were nineteen, so I guess that had something to do with it."

"Anyway," Elly smiled, "From what I hear of your connections and your 'mystical' technology, you could pop down for a cup of coffee anytime you pleased with almost no effort, and certainly not with the 38 hour plane ride we are looking forward to. By the way, do you think you could arrange for us to get one of those 'portkey' things? That would be very useful."

Hermione hugged her mother all the tighter, and said she would see what she could arrange. Elly then asked "Do you think that hot tub will be open this late? I would like to get into some hot water and soak for a bit. This Scottish weather is terrible cold, and this is supposedly a _nice_ night."

They descended into the castle's basement to the pool. Elly asked, "Can you lock the door or something? I don't feel like wearing a suit tonight." Hermione cast the privacy spells so they would not be disturbed, and they both got into the hot tub. Elly sighed "Lord, this feels good after that cold wind. You know, this is kind of how I met your father." At Hermione's raised eyebrow, Elly continued, "There was a pool in the dorm at college that was open all hours. Sometimes, after studying late, I would go for a swim to unwind. After about 1 in the morning, there was never anyone else there, and so after a bit, I just didn't bother with my suit. One night about 2:30, I went down to the pool, stripped and jumped in, before realizing that I was not alone. Your dad was in the same state I was, and after multiple blushes and apologies, we got talking and you know the rest."

She continued, "You know, my dad had been in the Second World War as a medic, and he said there was nothing that made young people more sexually active than getting shot at and living through it. Something about wanting to celebrate life and that they survived to be part of it. I suspect that you will see this happening with a lot of your friends, and maybe you feel this too. However, be careful. When I was growing up in the sixties, there was a song "All You Need is Love" and the young people were talking about 'free love'. Hermione, love may be one of the best things in life, but it is never free. I saw so many girls who paid far too high a price for the feeling that someone loved them. Please make sure that you don't pay for the intensity of your hormones with lifetime commitments of any kind that you wouldn't want."

"Love, I want you to go to university and go as far as you want. I would be ecstatic if you got your doctorate, or went into some profession – you've got the brains and the willpower for it, and I would hate for you to waste them. Your dad and I can help out with tuition, and I suspect you would have no trouble at all getting scholarships." Hermione pointed out that she was awarded the Order of Merlin first class, with a financial award of a half-million galleons, which was more that she could likely spend in three lifetimes, so the funding would not be an issue. Elly said "I'm glad to hear that, but I often thought that having to work for the money to go to school seems to make people value their education more, because they were directly aware of what they were giving up to go to school."

Elly bit her lip, as if her next statement was going to be difficult. She looked Hermione in the eyes, and said "You are smart and hardworking, Hermione. Don't settle for a boy who can't respect that. Your friend Harry values your intelligence, as he well should. You friend Ron, well let's just say that in the past he's been dumber than a bag of rocks. When and if he grows up, he might be worth keeping around, but I wouldn't count on it. However, since his brother died, I see him changing. Give him time. Give yourself time."

Elly then stood up on the steps of the hot tub. She smiled a little coy/sexy/prankish smile, that Hermione associated with Ginny about to pull a stunt or Luna about to let go with one of her more off-the-wall comments (Hermione knew Luna did this intentionally to keep people off balance, and maintain her reputation as being strange – she said annoying people stayed away from her when she did this). Elly dramatically put her hands on her naked hips, posing and wiggled her hips and shoulders slightly, and asked "Well, what do you think Harry would say to this package?"

Hermione laughed and asked "What are you talking about, Mum?"

Elly smirked. "You told me Harry needs at least two wives, and probably a number of concubines."

Hermione laughed nervously as the horror of several implications occurred to her. "Mum, is there anything wrong with Dad? Are you and Dad having problems?"

Elly smiled and said "No my dear, there's nothing wrong. God forbid anything happening to your dad, but if it did, I might just apply for the job. And after all, a woman's genetic imperative is to secure the best possible genes for her offspring. I got your dad, and I am very happy with my choice. For one thing, I had you. But if anything happens to your father, Harry is certainly prime goods, although his friend Neville looks pretty good too. A girl can fantasize, can't she? "

Hermione sat up, so that the warm water came only up to her waist. She pretended to hold up a clipboard in front of her bare chest, and motioned as if holding a quill or pen to the notepad. In an officious voice (which was hard to pull off when sitting naked in a hot tub laughing) she haughtily demanded "Well, Ms. Granger, may we ask exactly what you see as your qualifications for this position?"

Elly guffawed at the term 'position'. "I'm a little plain of face, I know, but I'm in good shape and good health. Rather nice breasts, I am told, but I deem the source of that opinion to be quite biased, so it can be discounted. An experienced cuddler. Frisky, on occasion. I have proven I can bear children, (which you cannot say, my girl, and if you can, don't! There are some things no mother wants to hear from her unmarried daughter.) My plumbing indicates that my eggs haven't hit their 'best before' date yet. I am an educated woman, a practicing professional who has run a business successfully, and I have lived in Australia and can understand the strange language of that land; I could be useful managing the Lord Black's southern estates. In addition, I have a brilliant daughter who might come in as part of a package deal. What do you think? Would Harry go for it?"

Hermione splashed water at her mother, and a brief water fight ensued amid the laughter.


	10. Hogmanay

**Harry Potter and the Jacobite Elves**

Rating: M

**Summary:** Harry takes possession of the Black family's castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Up to and amidst the celebration of Hogmanay (New Year's), he discovers that there is some very old business to attend to.

**Disclaimer:**

I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. I am making no money from this (rats).

**Hogmanay**

On the morning of December 31st, Harry had received an owl from Kingsley Shacklebolt that the documents had arrived, and that he would be bringing them when he and his wife Susanna arrived that afternoon for the ceilidh.

The people of the castle and the estate were all in formal livery, in the Black clan tartan. Harry and his friends wore their Highland formal dress, and many of the guests, particularly those from the regiment, were also in Highland formal attire.

Hagrid indicated that he would be a bit late, as he had to deal with the new pack of wolfallos which had just come in and weren't 'settled' yet. Luna commented that he was probably checking them for nargle infestations, as everyone knew that wolfallos were forest creatures who were fond of mistletoe, and everyone knows that mistletoe is prone to nargle infestations. Ron walked away shaking his head, muttering "Mental, mental, mental."

Minerva McGonagall arrived with her husband. She introduced him to Harry and Hermione as 'Professor Sean Gorrie'. Harry asked, "Do you teach at another wizarding school, Professor?" Sean replied, "No Harry, I have a much less illustrious post. I hold the chair in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. From what Minnie has told me about the goings-on at Hogwarts, it is a much less exciting school. Miss Granger, may I have a word? My wife has spoken to me of your potions work and your thirst for knowledge, and I would like to discuss a future path of study with you."

As Hermione and Sean moved over to the side of the entranceway, already deep in conversation (with Hermione's eyes bright, and more than once turning towards the Scottish witch and mouthing "Thank you!"), Harry said "Minerva, you never mentioned that your husband had such a illustrious position." Minerva replied, "Harry, you have to remember that a teacher's stock-in-trade is information. How much to give out, and how much to keep back. Being in the Order for longer than you have been around, in the midst of two wars with old Voldie, surrounded at the school by Death Eaters on the Board of Governors (we knew who they were, but could do nothing about it), and their offspring acting as spies in Slytherin, and I'm sad to say, in the other houses as well, and with families being targeted, certain cats had to be very carefully kept in their bags."

At seven in the evening, the Dinner was called to order. Harry stood up at the head table, and greeted the assembled guests.

"Honoured guests, friends, your Excellency (this addressed to the High Commissioner from Australia), my brothers and sisters of the clan, I bid you welcome to Castle Dubh. To start, I ask you to charge your glasses with this special commemorative liqueur prepared by our brew-mistress Lindsay." He indicated the elf and bowed to her, who curtseyed to the assembly. "The golden flasks contain a version prepared for those who do not wish to partake in strong drink this evening, and the more plentiful silver ones are for those of us who do." Glasses were filled and the gathering looked to Harry for his next comments. "The potion is intended to enhance our memories of those who we wish were still with us."

"I ask you to rise for a moment of silence, and raise your glasses to our fallen brothers and sisters, those who fell in the recent war, and those who fell in previous conflicts, and those who have gone forward into the next great adventure. To all of our fallen!" He drained his glass and bowed his head. The assembled group bowed their heads as well, as the clan piper played 'The Flowers of the Forest', and people remembered loved ones who were no longer with them.

Harry refilled and then raised his glass again for the requisite toast. "The Queen!" He noticed quite a number of people, including many from his own household, passing their liqueur glasses over their waterglasses before they drank this toast.

Harry raised his glass again and declared "Éirich Dubh!", which the clan members echoed, as did Hermione, Ginny, Arthur, and Fleur Weasley (who had been taking Gaelic lessons with Winnie), and Elly and Gil Granger. The clan members noted these inclusions with deep interest.

He continued to stand "Thank you all. Please be seated."

"As you all know, I'm kind of new at this, so please bear with me. I shall try to keep my remarks short, so we can eat, drink and be merry, and then the dancehall awaits."

"Some months ago, when I took on my title as Lord Black and Chief of Clan Dubh, I swore to protect the people of the clan, and to protect those who were innocent. I also stated that those who were guilty of evil acts had forfeited the protection of the clan and their claim to be part of it. I hold to these statements, and I hope that the actions I have undertaken in the last few months will bear this out."

"I have also spoken at length with the people of the castle and the estate. In particular, I have had long discussions with Father Ian" bowing to the elf in the brown cassock, "on the nature of good and evil, as it has been a constant question in my life. He helped me see that most people are not inherently good or evil, but can be guided or misled. The prodigal can return and the repentant can be redeemed. I do not hold to the doctrine that guilt is inherited, except through actions of the younger party – the sins of the father are not necessarily passed to the next generation, but the next generation can commit the same sins under the guidance of the father. The unrepentant shall not be redeemed, and shall be cast out. In light of this understanding, I wish to make the some declarations and attempt to right some long-standing wrongs."

"First, I declare that the protection of the clan will continue to go to the innocent and helpless."

"Second, the disinheriting of my godfather's cousin, the Lady Andromeda Black Tonks is hereby declared to be null and void. It was done because the lady in question refused to follow in a misguided path to evil. As Lord Black, I welcome the Lady Andromeda back into her family." Harry walked over to Andromeda, who was sitting at the head table, and kissed her, formally welcoming her back into the fold.

"Second, I declare that there are members of cadet branches of the clan, and affiliated families who have clan ties, who have committed evil acts through the guidance of evil persons. Some of these acts are 'unforgivable', and shall not be forgiven. Others are not. Those who turn away from evil ways, if their transgressions were minor and they repent of their former acts, shall be welcomed as family, but those who do not will be turned away."

Hermione gasped as she realized that Harry had just declared that, barring him having his own children to succeed him, Teddy Lupin had just been made the presumptive heir to the House of Black, and that Draco Malfoy had just been disinherited from the Black fortune unless he repented his ways. She figured that the devil would be buying thermal underwear before that happened. She also realised that the entire weight of the clan's protection would be guarding Teddy against attacks or death threats from Draco.

Harry then said, "Okay, now the biggie. I cannot turn back the clock as much time is past, and sometimes trying to correct old wrongs can create new ones. That's how vendettas and feuds start, and we have all seen quite enough of that type of behaviour. I call upon the Honourable Minister of Magic, Mr Kingsley Shacklebolt to make the official pronouncement and declarations, and then I will finish off, and then we can eat. Minister?"

Kingsley stood up, and unrolled a large parchment. He said "May I ask the Lady Morag Stuart to stand with me please?" As Morag was sitting next to Kingsley at the head table (a fact that had puzzled some), she stood beside the tall black man. Kingsley continued "Thank you, Lady Morag. I have the honour to hold in my hand a declaration and Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen. It is rather long, and as such, though I mean no disrespect to her majesty, I will summarize. It declares that the proscriptions and outstanding warrants of arrest against the Royal House of Stuart are hereby nullified. The war between the English Crown and the House of Stuart for the rule of England and Scotland is long over, and the punishments laid on the Highlands after the Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745 are no longer relevant, if they ever were. Due to the passage of time, the confiscations of property and harm to lives cannot be reversed, but the honour of the people can be restored. The living people of the Royal Clan of Stuart have done no personal wrong against the existing crown which can be attributed to the war between the Stuarts and Hanovers, and so the current people shall not remain under threat from the Crown. All proscriptions and prescribed sentences of members of the Royal Clan of Stuart are hereby declared void. This declaration is signed by Her Majesty." He handed the parchment to Lady Morag.

Kingsley then unrolled a second parchment. "In light of the declaration by Her Majesty, the Wizengamot of The United Kingdom of Great Britain hereby restores the Royal Clan of Stuart to the status of a Great House of the Realm, and recognised the current head of the clan, the Lady Morag Stuart, as the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, as is her right through inheritance. This declaration is to be effective at the stroke of midnight tonight, as the New Year begins, to symbolize this new beginning." Kingsley handed the second parchment to Lady Morag, and presented her with a highland bonnet with three eagle feathers and one owl feather. He then bent over and kissed her hand.

As Kingsley was still bowed over Morag's hand, Harry stood and raised his glass. "To the House of Stuart!" He then turned to the fireplace behind him, and threw his glass into it, smashing the glass. Using the fireplaces which lined the walls of the dining room in all directions, the company followed suit, giving great cheers of "Stuart, Stuart."

Harry then resumed speaking, "Thank you, Minister. As the Head of the Black Family and Chief of Clan Dubh, I welcome this restoration of the honour of a wronged people. Many of these people have sworn fealty to Clan Dubh. I cannot in any good conscience declare them no longer part of the clan, as they have committed no wrong. All of the Royal Clan who wish to remain part of Clan Dubh shall continue to be welcomed as our brothers and sisters."

"In the Clan lands, we follow the old ways, and not those imposed by the act of Union. Therefore, I do not personally own the clan lands, but am the Great Steward of clan property. I do declare that any parcels of land owned directly by members of the restored Clan Stuart shall be deemed by me to be Stuart clan lands, even though they were originally property of the Blacks."

"As you all can imagine, Lady Morag and I are still working out the details. There has never been a clan restored. There has never been a clan which is made up almost entirely of members of a separate clan, and there has never been a royal clan which is effectively a branch of another clan. We'll keep you informed of our progress."

"To finish, I welcome you all to our banquet and ceilidh. I particularly welcome the Lady Morag Stuart in her new restored role and honours."

"For those who wish to stay the night, due to the time or the drink, or any after-ceilidh parties which I am told are inevitable, we have rooms aplenty prepared for you. For those who want a quieter relaxation or whose muscles get sore, the hot pool is available as well."

"One last thing. This last year has seen many changes for me personally, and for us all. Many of us have come out from under a shadow which has been over us for most of our lives. We are starting afresh, and some of us are looking forward to this new life." He raised his glass, raising it slightly to Lady Morag, then to Neville and Hannah, and then to the assembled guests. "To New Beginnings!"

"Now, I can see that my friend Ron is going to kill me if I keep this up, so let's eat!" With that he sat down and dinner was served.

With Hamish as the Master of Ceremonies, Harry led the party into the ballroom in the Grand March. Once all were in the hall, Hamish called for the dancers to form sets for "The White Cockade", in honour of the restored house of Stuart. Harry led Lady Morag to the first couple position in the first set, and the floor filled with dancers.

Between each group of three or four dances, there would be a song from one clan member or another. Most were old and new Scottish songs. When the 'Skye Boat Song' was sung, the entire party joined in – many followed this up with an unscheduled singing of 'Will ye no come back again' which was written when Bonnie Prince Charlie left after Culloden.

When the "Reel of the 51st Division' was announced, soldiers of the regiment formed several sets of men only, and other sets of military couples were formed. Before the music started, the colonel called for a moment, and ordered the regiment to charge their glasses (from the silver flasks, of course.) He raised his glass, and called out "To our fallen comrades!" The company echoed the call, and then heaved their glasses into the ubiquitous fireplaces. The colonel then called for the music to start.

After this, a number of the soldiers demonstrated the Scottish Sword Dance, as it was intended to show the agility of soldiers and their potential for surviving battles. Great claymore swords were taken from the castle walls and laid on the floor, and the soldiers danced over them barefoot. None cut their feet on the swords, which were tested afterwards to see that they were indeed razor sharp.

When 'The Triumph' was danced, Ron partnered with Hermione, and Harry danced with Ginny, so that when Hermione was brought up the set 'in triumph' (with the two men each holding one of her hands which were crossed in front of her, and with their others forming a triumphal arch over her head) it was Ron and Harry forming the arch. Ginny came up the set under the arms of Harry and Neville, Hannah was accompanied by Neville and Seamus, and Luna came up the set under the arms of Seamus and Ron.

The ceilidh continued with singing, dancing, drinking, and breaks for snacks. At a quarter to midnight, there was a break for a more formal light meal, before they returned to the ballroom.

At the stroke of midnight, a shimmer of magic ran through the room. Lady Morag, and many other members of clan Black were now attired in the Royal Stuart tartan, and the clan rose again. Many of the elves, including Hamish and Lindsey, were now wearing the Stuart tartan, and Hamish was smiling at Harry. The elf came over and said "Thank you Harry. It has been a long time since I dared wear the colours of my fathers." The company as one raised their glasses and called out "Stuart!" More glass in more fireplaces. (Harry later learned that the castle had a glass-making shop, so that the glass would not be wasted, but neither could it be said that the same glass was re-used after a heartfelt toast.)

At that moment, there was a crashing sound, as the main door broke from its hinges and fell to the floor, and Hagrid entered the room from the outside. He looked over at Harry, smiled and said "Sorry 'bout that." Harry and his friends (who had heard the story of his first meeting with the large man) burst out laughing. Harry ran up to Hagrid and hugged his old friend. Hagrid looked around and said in a large 'outdoor' kind of voice "I know it's the custom in these parts that the 'first-footer', the first through your door in the New Year, should be a tall man with dark hair. Will I do?" With a wide smile, Harry said "Of course. Come in. You will always be welcome in my house."

Hagrid looked around, asking "Where's Mariah? I promised my big sister a dance." There was an audible thud as Mhairi ran up and hugged her brother.

Harry looked around, and saw Jock McGregor laughing heartily at the two giants embracing. Harry went up to him and asked "What's up, Jock?" Jock looked at Harry and said "That joke was old by the time ye were born, laddie. I was laughing because every time that lad shows up, we have had to replace that door. We finally put break-away hinges on the doors so that we didn't have to replace the doorframe whenever he visits his sister."

The ceilidh went on until near dawn, although many had already drifted off to their rooms. Several smaller parties continued in smaller meeting rooms and larger bedrooms.

Harry went to his room about eight in the morning, to find his bed was already partially occupied, and there was long blonde hair spread over his pillow. Luna looked up at Harry, with her wide-eyed expression of total acceptance of whatever wonders the world had to offer and said simply, "I was told it was my turn."


End file.
